


Book 12 - The Second Coming

by GailDunn2



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dark, Drama, F/M, Inspired by Supernatural (TV), Series, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 09:03:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 89,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16807588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GailDunn2/pseuds/GailDunn2
Summary: Lucifer has escaped, and Bobby has to assemble a ragtag group of humans and Angels to try to find him. Will Gail, Sam, Frank or Jody find out the secret that Cas has tried so desperately to keep from them?





	1. All Hell Breaks Loose

Crowley was on his third drink now. The first one had helped to calm his shaking hands, the second one had steeled his nerves, and this one was mainly a stall tactic on his part. He'd seriously considered just bringing the decanter over to his desk and chugging the entire contents down, but if there was ever a time he needed to keep his wits about him, it was now.

He sighed heavily and put the glass down. He couldn't put this off any longer. They needed to be told.

Bobby's blood ran cold, and he gripped the phone receiver so tightly in nearly broke in two.

"How in the hell could you let him escape?" he yelled at Crowley. "You told me you had the situation under control!"

Crowley's jaw clenched. "It was Aurielle. She got into the damn wing with the Demon Tablet, and I can only surmise that it was her blood, mixed with Lucifer's, that destroyed the cage." He'd seen the Tablet lying in fragments on the floor, and the shard with blood on it, and Crowley could do the math.

Bobby was fuming, and he was also very, very scared. Lucifer, Metatron, and Aurielle were all on the loose, presumably roaming around the Earth somewhere, plotting Heaven knew what. Plague, famine, destruction? A little genocide, maybe? His first thoughts were of Sam and Dean, and Cas and Gail. They would have to be told immediately, and they all needed to get together to work out a strategy to take care of the situation. Lucifer and Metatron were Original Angels, and God only knew what kinds of additional powers they possessed because of that. Literally. Bobby himself had no idea. Come to think of it, he had no idea what Cas and Gail could do, either. They'd never gotten around to having that conversation.

"I know you're going to want to get together with the Angels and the boys," Crowley said. "I think I should be at that meeting, as well."

Bobby sighed. Of course he did. Every time Bobby turned around, it seemed, he was forced to align himself with the King of Hell. He frowned. Some King. He'd let Lucifer slip through his fingers, after he had assured them that that would not happen. Probably off somewhere having his designer suit pressed and his shoes shined. On the other hand, Crowley was the fifth Original, and Bobby needed all the intel he could get.

"All right, Crowley. Meet me outside the bunker. I'll Cas and Gail and have them bring Sam and Dean," Bobby told them. Then he hung up the Hotline phone and sent the call out to Cas.

Cas and Gail were watching TV and cuddling when Bobby called. They had held each other and talked until the power had come back on, and Cas was now flipping from channel to channel with the remote. He'd come upon one of those programs on the Christian Network that were so amusing to him. The host of the show was usually a slightly paunchy, middle-aged white male, who called himself a Minister. He would typically start the show with a monologue, preaching against sin and exhorting the studio audience and the viewers at home to live their lives in the right way. God loved them, and He was watching over them. So far, so good, for the most part; Cas could get on board with those sentiments. But then the sermon always became tinged with a tone of judgement. His flock meant well, the Minister would say, but they could do better. If they wanted true salvation, they should send money in the to address shown on the bottom of the screen, and then they would be further on the path to getting it. Then there would be a hymn, then a reading from the Bible, then usually a guest would come on, talking about how Christianity had saved them from a life of sin and debauchery. Then a few commercials, then more appeals for money, and more gentle guilt and condemnation. Some of these men even had the temerity to state that God was speaking directly through them.

Gail rolled her eyes. "Why do you watch that junk?" she asked him.

"I don't know, really," Cas said thoughtfully. "Just curious, I guess. It's amazing what some humans are willing to believe in, and who they're willing to follow and listen to."

Gail nodded. Unfortunately, that was true. In the absence of any real information, people tended to follow those who spoke in the loudest and most forceful tones. She told Cas this now, making a face as the man on TV was now talking about how the Bible said that homosexuality was a sin. Admittedly, she had never actually read the Bible from cover to cover, but she highly doubted that. But then, a lot of people put their own spins on Bible passages, didn't they? "They should call this the FP; the False Prophet Network," she quipped.

Cas was impressed by her comment. "I agree," he said, giving her a squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. "Basically, a False Prophet is a servant of the Devil, attempting to lead people away from the Truth."

Gail was thinking about that as Cas received the call. The trouble was, these televangelists were the only ones doing the talking. How were people supposed to decide what the truth was when they were only presented with one viewpoint, and a slanted one, at that?

She'd opened her mouth to say so when Cas suddenly swung his legs off the bed and stood up. "What's wrong?" she asked him, seeing the look of alarm on his face.

Cas held his hand up. "It's Bobby," he said shortly. Gail fell silent, letting him receive the message. But she felt a sense of dread creeping in now. Cas was pale, and his expression was grim.

After a moment, Cas looked at her. "Lucifer has escaped," he told her. "Aurielle is with him, and Metatron is also missing. The cage has been destroyed, and the Demon Tablet is broken."

Gail's mouth dropped open in shock. "But Crowley said he was going to take care of that," she said.

Cas frowned. "Well, he obviously didn't," he replied.

Gail climbed off the bed and went to him. "What are we going to do?" she asked him, panicked. Metatron and Aurielle were bad enough, but now the Devil himself was out there somewhere, too? Every child learned from a very young age that Lucifer was the Babe Ruth of evil, worse than Crowley, worse than anyone or anything. Crowley no longer scared her, not really. She knew him fairly well by now, and she thought she knew how his mind worked. Lucifer was the great unknown, and he was a legend. But she'd never met him, so Gail had no idea what they were actually dealing with here. In this case, God's modification of her memory had been merciful, indeed. If Gail were to remember having met Lucifer, not just once but twice, she wouldn't have been merely scared, she would have been terrified.

But Cas was terrified enough for the both of them. What did Lucifer have planned? His Brother had been locked away since Creation, and Castiel knew that Lucifer was extremely angry about this fact. But Lucifer also liked to toy with people. A swift execution wouldn't be his style, not for the individuals that Lucifer hated the most. Like Castiel himself, of course. Lucifer would be gunning for all of the other Originals, and he'd had years upon years to plan his vengeance. Castiel couldn't sense him anywhere, though, nor could he sense the other two. Had his recent incarnation as a hybrid Demon messed with his radar somehow?

He put his arms around Gail and hugged her fiercely to him. Lucifer may not hate Gail as much as he did the other Originals, but Cas was afraid she might be in the most dangerous position of them all. She had mocked Lucifer during their meeting about his being a virgin, and he had alluded to his desire to use her to change that condition. Castiel had better not let her out of his sight, not even for a moment.

He reluctantly broke the embrace. "We're to report to the bunker immediately," he told her. "I'll call Sam and Dean. We'll have to collect them and transport them there."

Gail nodded, and she went to the closet to get a change of clothing. "Do I have time for a shower?" she asked him hopefully.

Cas already had his cell phone in his hand. "Better not," he told her. "Sorry."

She understood. This was an emergency situation; creature comforts would have to wait. She undressed quickly.

Cas punched Dean's number into the phone. He'd thought about just calling the hotel but decided to call Dean's cell phone at the last minute instead. If he knew his friend, Cas was willing to bet that Dean had not gone straight back to the hotel. He'd seen how Dean and Nicole had been looking at each other.

That thought almost made him smile, and Cas would have, had the current situation not been so gravely serious. Good for Dean. Cas had the feeling that Sam might not have made it back to the hotel, either. Good for Sam, too. With that much evil out there somewhere now, it was good to think that his friends might have received some much-deserved love last night. He and Gail had had a wonderful night, too. The calm before the storm, he supposed. He watched Gail undress while waiting for Dean to pick up, and now Cas did smile. She was so sweet, and so loving. Once they got past this current crisis, he would have to take steps to ensure that their arrangement became more permanent.

Dean had heard his phone ringing, and he'd seriously considered just ignoring it. He was just coming out of the shower, and the phone was in his pants, which were on the floor of the bathroom. Nicole was in the kitchen making coffee, and Dean had wanted to smell good for her this morning. Maybe they could have one more go-round before he had to leave.

He grabbed his pants and rooted around for the phone. Probably Sammy, wondering when Dean was coming back to the hotel.

"Yo," he said into the phone.

But it was Cas, and he told Dean the shocking and horrifying news.

"Holy crap," Dean breathed.

"I agree," Cas said grimly. "Where are you right now?"

"At Nicole's," Dean told his friend.

"We're coming to get you," Cas said. "Where's Sam?"

"I don't know," Dean replied. "Hopefully, at Zoey's."

"We'll have to collect him, too," Cas said. "Bobby wants to have a meeting at the bunker, immediately. We have to plan a strategy. I believe the phrase is 'all hands on deck'. Crowley's even going to be there."

Dean rolled his eyes. He'd just had the night from Heaven, and now he had to sit down and make nice with the King of Hell. But this was an emergency, and Dean would just have to suck it up.

"OK. But do me a favour, and come to the front door. Nicole knows pretty much everything now, but I don't want you just popping in here and scaring her."

He hung up and dressed quickly, then went out to the kitchen. Nicole was getting mugs out of the cupboard, and she turned to him and smiled. "Do you want breakfast?" she asked him.

Dean crossed the kitchen and put his arms around her. He kissed her on the lips and said, "No time. I'm sorry, but I've gotta go. There's an emergency situation."

There was a knock on the front door of Nicole's apartment. "That'll be Cas and Gail," Dean told her. "They're here for me. We have to go and get Sam, and then they have to take us back to the States the Angel way." He frowned suddenly. What was he going to do about the Impala?

"What's going on, Dean?" Nicole asked him. If this was an excuse for him to slink out of here now that morning had come, it was certainly an elaborate one if he had enlisted the others' help.

"I can't really tell you that," Dean said. "But only a situation like this could get me out of here this morning. I hope you know that."

Nicole smiled. OK, she'd accept that.

The knocking had become a pounding now, and Nicole moved quickly to the front door. As soon as she opened it, Cas strode in. In his panic, he was in full-on Angel mode now. "Is everyone all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're fine, Cas," Dean said, coming out from the kitchen.

"Sorry, Nicole," Gail said. "We wouldn't be barging in on you like this if it wasn't an emergency."

Nicole smiled at her. "I know, Dean told me," she said.

"He told you?" Castiel exclaimed, incredulous.

Nicole looked at him. He seemed different this morning. More abrupt, more businesslike. This must be his Angel side. Whatever the situation was, it must be very serious. "He didn't tell me what it was, only that it was urgent, and that you all had to go back to the States right away," she said. She turned to Dean. "What about your car?"

"We'll have to come back for it," Castiel said. He grabbed Dean's arm. "Come on, we have to go."

"OK, Cas, relax," Dean said. "Give me a second." He took Cas's hand off his arm, then turned to Nicole. "I'm sorry," he said to her. "I'll call you as soon as I can." He put his arms around her and kissed her again.

Castiel was agitated, but he gave them their moment. This, he understood.

"Go, go," Nicole said, shooing Dean towards the door. "Go save the world, then call me and you can tell me how it went." She smiled at him, then at Cas. "So I guess I can tell Richard that you're calling in sick today?"

Castiel frowned. He hadn't even thought about that. "I suppose you'd better," he told her. "I don't know when I'll be back, though. Maybe not for quite a while. Make my apologies to him, please. If he has to fire me, tell him to do so. This is much more important."

Nicole was nervous now. They all looked so grim. How serious was this? "OK, Cas. I will," she said softly. "Please take care of yourselves, all of you."

"We will," Dean said, frowning. And hopefully, they would be able to take care of Lucifer, too, before he took care of humanity, for good.

Sam was standing on the street outside Zoey's apartment building, already waiting for them. He had kissed Zoey goodbye upstairs, telling her not to bother coming outside with him. He'd wanted a moment alone to think, anyway. Lucifer was on the loose somewhere here on Earth, and Sam was terrified. He remembered his time in that cage all too well, and the way that he had been when he had come out of it. Lucifer had the power to drive people insane, and now he was out there free, planning God only knew what.

Castiel, Gail and Dean appeared on the street. The hour was early and luckily, Sam was the only one there. But Zoey was watching from her window, and her mouth dropped open. Even though they'd told her and Nicole about it, seeing it with her own eyes was another matter. She hoped that they could get through whatever this mysterious crisis was. Zoey considered all of them her friends now, and she wanted them to be OK.

The group talked for a moment, then Gail put her hand on Sam's arm and Cas put his hand on Dean's, and all four vanished from the street. Wow, Zoey thought. Cas had been working with them all this time, and they'd had absolutely no idea. It just went to show; people had no clue as to what was really going on around them most of the time. Just before the four of them had disappeared, Cas had glanced up at the window, looking straight at her as if he'd known that she'd been watching them. And he probably had, too. Weren't Angels supposed to be able to sense those things? She wondered what other kinds of powers he and Gail had. She hoped they and their friends were going to be OK.

Bobby had been asking Crowley questions along those same lines while they were waiting for the others outside the bunker, and he was getting frustrated. His questions were being met with nothing but evasion.

"That's not for me to say," Crowley said uncomfortably. He was thinking of those times in the warehouse, when he and Castiel and Gail had briefly been on the same team, ostensibly, at least. Crowley did know about a few of their special abilities, but their sessions had been cut short when his Brother had had an attack of conscience and had given himself up to the Winchesters to be held in the bunker until he was cured. So there were a lot of things they hadn't yet had the chance to cover, but Crowley didn't feel like sharing any of this with Bobby. That was between them and God. Crowley was just here to help coordinate the search for Lucifer, Metatron, and Aurielle.

Bobby was fuming again. Why was Crowley even here, then, if he wasn't going to give out any useful information?

The Angels suddenly appeared, with Sam and Dean in tow.

"You're invited inside," Sam said to Crowley tersely. He didn't feel like screwing around right now.

They all sat around the library table as Sam moved to put the coffee on. "I didn't have the time to get any," Sam shrugged when Bobby asked him what he was doing. "And if I know Dean, he didn't get any coffee, either." His brother would have been making the most out of his night and morning with Nicole. "You want us alert, don't you?"

Castiel was glaring at Crowley, who took a seat across from him and Gail.

"What?" Crowley asked him.

"How could you let this happen?" Cas asked him. "I thought you said you were going to take care of it. How incompetent are you?"

Crowley's blood boiled. "I did everything I could," he said shortly. And while that wasn't entirely true, he wasn't going to sit here and let Castiel insult him like that.

"Really?" Cas scoffed.

"I suppose you think you would have done better if you had been on the throne," Crowley shot back.

Gail looked at him. What a weird thing to say, and what a strange momentary picture had formed in her head at that. Cas sitting at Crowley's desk, ruling Hell. She had never been to Hell, of course, but she could somehow picture Crowley's office in her head very clearly. What an imagination she had.

"What I would have done is immaterial," Castiel retorted. "It's what you didn't do that is in question."

"I thought you said you were putting in some extra security there," Bobby said.

Crowley squirmed. "I did, but Aurielle overpowered the guards I had stationed there."

"How many guards are we talking about?" Dean asked him.

"What does that matter?" Crowley snapped. The truth was, he had underestimated Aurielle. He was as bad as the rest of them. Just because she was a female didn't mean that she couldn't perform as efficiently as any male did when the chips were down. He should have known that.

"Anyway, the damage has been done," Crowley continued. "The question is, what are we going to do about it now?" He leaned forward, looking at Castiel intently. "Can't you at least sense her?"

"Sense who? Aurielle?" Cas asked him.

"No, the bloody Queen of England!" Crowley exclaimed. "Yes, Aurielle! She's just an ordinary Angel, isn't she? Even though Metatron and Lucifer can shield themselves from us if they choose, you or Gail should still be able to pick her up, shouldn't you?"

Cas and Gail exchanged glances. "But Aurielle was in Hell, with you," Gail said to Crowley. "She wouldn't be an Angel any more, would she?"

"It's complicated," Cas and Crowley said simultaneously.

"So Lucifer and Metatron can hide from our radar?" Bobby said. "Great."

"That's part of being an Original," Crowley told him. "However, we should be able to sense each other, no matter which vessel we might be using at the time. But I can't pick up on them, either.

Castiel thought about that. It wouldn't surprise him to learn that Metatron had the ability to shield himself. When they had gone to Dallas to find him, he had only let Castiel sense him when he was ready to be found. And Lucifer could very well share that ability, too. There were a few abilities that some of the Originals had in common. He wondered if he and Gail could do that, too. They would have to test that out, and soon.

"If they can shield themselves, could they be able to shield her too, maybe, even from Bobby?" Gail asked.

Crowley looked at her. "It's entirely possible."

But Sam was thinking about vessels. "They're all Demons though, right? For the most part?" he asked Crowley.

"Yes, of course," Crowley replied impatiently.

"So that means they can possess any vessel they want, just by taking it?" Sam said.

Dean's blood ran cold. "Fantastic. That means they could be anyone. Anyone at all. And we would have no way of knowing. That's what you're telling us?"

Crowley was frowning. "Yes, that's what I'm telling you."

They all sat there, thinking about that. How the hell were they supposed to fight an enemy that could be anyone, at anytime, anywhere?

"Any ideas?" Bobby said dryly.

"Unbelievable," Dean groaned. "At least, if they kept their original appearances, we would know what they looked like."

"Well, you would know what Metatron looks like," Sam pointed out. "We only saw Aurielle briefly in Dallas; she was already dead when we got to the cabin. And you've never even seen Lucifer. Fortunately for you," he added, exchanging glances with Bobby. Being in Lucifer's cage was the dubious common bond that Sam and Bobby shared. Dean was lucky to be excluded from that club.

Dean looked at Castiel. That was right; as far as Sam and Gail were concerned, Dean had never met Lucifer, nor had Gail. Dean had almost screwed up. "I know evil when I see it," Dean said defensively.

"Let's hope you do," Crowley said briskly. "They all have to be found, and quickly." He turned to Bobby. "I'll send a number of my minions topside," Crowley told him. "Maybe we'll get lucky."

"You want to put a bunch of Demons on Earth?" Dean asked him, frowning. "What for?"

"We need all the help we can get," Crowley replied. "If you think your little group is going to be able to handle this all by yourselves, you're sadly mistaken." He turned to Bobby. "In fact, I think you should deploy as many Angels as you can spare and have them roam the earth, as well. Sooner or later, Lucifer will reveal himself; I'm sure he will. He won't be able to help it."

Bobby thought about that. Great. He was supposed to send a bunch of paper-pushers down to Earth to defeat the Devil? He should have started up that training program that he had been thinking about. If Crowley had screwed up, so had Bobby. And there was no excuse for it, really. As eternal beings, they had all the time in the world, didn't they? Well, not any more, they didn't.

"I screwed up," Bobby admitted. "I should have been preparing them for battle. Instead, I got obsessed with the damn paperwork. New laws. What good are new laws gonna do if we're all dead?"

"New laws?" Gail said, puzzled. "What new laws?"

Crap. Now Bobby had he'd screwed up. He and Cas hadn't had that conversation yet either, the one where they were going to have to figure out how to tell Gail that not only were there new laws now in Heaven, but she was the Chairwoman of the board that had written them. That whole timeline had been erased from her memory by God's own hand. Bobby tried to brazen it out. "The new laws we wrote together," he said lightly. "Come on, Gail, did that Canadian air affect your brain?"

She frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about, Bobby." Gail turned to Cas. "What's he talking about?"

Cas smiled, trying to match Bobby's tone. "If you're looking for more praise, all you have to do is ask me for it," he said to her, taking her hand. "You did a wonderful job this summer while I was on the set. I only wish I could have been at more of the board meetings. You did great, Gail. The first female Chairperson Heaven's ever had."

Gail was astonished. What the hell was this, all of a sudden? Was it just her?

Crowley could see what was going on here. If they were all going to have to work together to recapture Lucifer, he supposed he'd better back Bobby and Castiel up on this one. "Yes, and I'm still annoyed with you about some of them," he told her. "I'm going to lose souls to Heaven, thanks to you. But you told me your mind was made up, and there was nothing I could do."

Dean looked at Gail. "I remember you telling me about that," he said to Gail. "Atta girl."

Gail looked at the mens' faces, open-mouthed. Were they all crazy, or was she? Why did she still have no idea what they were all talking about? Heaven had a new board now, of which she was apparently the Chairperson? And they had rewritten the old laws, pissing Crowley off in the process? How did she not remember any of that?

"The new laws have made Heaven a much better place," Castiel told her, still smiling. "And I know they've made me happier. It's nice to be able to express our affection for each other so openly now, both in public, and in private. Not that we ever let that stop us before," he teased her.

So that was why they had been able to do what they had done last night and the night before, Gail thought. So, what everyone was saying was true, then. It had to be; they were all talking about these things as if they were already established facts.

"Why am I the only one who doesn't remember any of this?" she said.

"PTSD, from the tribunal, and the events at the cabin," Bobby replied quickly. "I told you she should see someone, Cas." Bobby felt like crap now. In a way, what they were doing to her was cruel. Now she thought that she was nuts. But the last thing they needed now was Sam or Gail, going off the rails, when they had the current crisis to deal with. He looked at Sam, who had been frowning throughout this entire exchange.

Sam was as puzzled as Gail was. He had no recollection of any of this stuff, either. Wouldn't Cas and Gail have told him about it at some point? Dean seemed to know what they were talking about, but Sam didn't. Then again, this was Angel stuff they were talking about, and he and Dean didn't generally pay very close attention to that kind of thing. Really, who cared about Heaven's politics and laws right now? They'd worry about all of that when they got there. But it was still strange to Sam that Gail wouldn't at least have mentioned the fact that she was now apparently running Heaven's board to him. Heaven was not exactly a beacon of enlightenment when it came to womens' rights; at least, it hadn't been under the old regime. You would think it would have been a pretty big deal to her. And Cas rarely missed an opportunity to sing her praises. Maybe their Angel friends had attempted to mention it, and Sam and Dean had just shut them down. That happened sometimes, when the brothers had had enough of Heaven and all its crap for a while. And they definitely had recently, after the events at the cabin. Sam could understand what Bobby was saying about Gail, though. All you had to do was look at the expression on her face to know that everything was not all right with her. PTSD was real, and it was serious. Sometimes, a person's mind would just shut down after a particularly traumatic event, and Gail had suffered a couple of big ones recently, what with Cas's execution and their harrowing ordeal at the cabin both having happened almost back-to-back.

Gail was looking at Bobby. She'd heard about PTSD. It was prevalent in soldiers who had come back home from the battlefield. What they had been through was so traumatic to them that they repressed their memories of it. But if that was the case, how come she remembered all of the trauma, but had seemingly forgotten about all of the rest, which apparently comprised the better part of three whole seasons of her recent life? She asked Bobby this now.

"Stress affects different people differently," he told her, cringing inside at the evasion.

"Shall we get back to the problem at hand?" Crowley interjected. "How are we going to apprehend Lucifer?"

But they were no closer to a solution to the problem an hour after when they'd first started talking.

"Maybe we should read Revelation," Sam said suddenly.

Dean looked at him. "Why?" he asked.

Sam nearly rolled his eyes. Wasn't it obvious? "Because it refers to the coming of the Antichrist," he said.

"Yeah, but isn't the Bible just a book written by humans, full of nothing but allegorical tales?" Bobby said. Sam looked at him, impressed. But he shook his head. "Not necessarily, Bobby," Sam said. "But why don't we ask these two about that?" He gestured to Crowley and Castiel.

Oh. Right. Bobby was talking about the Bible as if it were pure fiction, and they were sitting here at the table with Cain and Abel.

"What do you think?" Bobby asked Castiel.

"Sam's idea could have some merit," Cas said thoughtfully.

Then Bobby looked at Crowley, who shrugged. He supposed it couldn't hurt. The King of Hell, about to read the Bible. No wonder many wanted him off of his throne.

Sam rose and went to the bookshelves. There were several different versions of the Bible there, but he supposed it didn't matter which one he chose. They were all basically pretty much the same in the spirit of the message, if not in terminology. He'd always thought that Revelation, not Revelations as most people insisted on calling it, was the most fascinating part of the Bible, and the most frustrating, at the same time. Sam had read it numerous times after returning from Lucifer's cage. He'd told himself he just wanted to understand what the book was trying to say, merely as an intellectual exercise. But really, who had he been trying to fool? Deep down, hadn't he always known that this day was going to come?

"Trying to decide?" Gail's voice, at his elbow. She had risen from the table and come over to join him, seeing his hesitation. "Why don't we just bring them all, so everyone can have their own copy?" she suggested. Sam nodded, and he handed her three copies. She took the books back to the table and started passing them out.

"Are you going to be able to touch this, or do you need a page-turner?" she quipped as she held out a Bible for Crowley to take. He couldn't help but smile. That had actually been a pretty good one.

"I think I'll be all right, sweetheart," he said, taking the book from her and putting it in front of him on the table. "Let's see, Revelation," he mused aloud. "Where is that, again?" he asked Castiel.

"How should I know?" Castiel said. "I haven't looked at one of these in quite a while."

Crowley shook his head slowly. I'll just bet you haven't, he thought. Too busy doing all of the things this book says you shouldn't. But he'd better leave that alone for now. They were here for a common goal. Gail put a copy of the Bible in front of Castiel, kissing him on the forehead as she went back to get more Bibles from Sam. "We can share," she told him, smiling. "It'll give me an excuse to sit closer to you."

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Go ahead and start to read as soon as you can, Moose," he prompted. "A little dose of Armageddon will do me some good. All this Angel sweetness is beginning to become rather cloying. Everybody's got a little Demon in them, you know," he said pointedly to Gail.

Castiel gave him a sharp look. "Watch your mouth," he cautioned Crowley. His Brother was skating on very thin ice now.

But Gail was smiling at Crowley. "I know that," she said to him. "But that just means you've got a little Angel in you, then, doesn't it?"

Crowley smiled again, tipping an imaginary hat to her. "Checkmate, luv," he said. "And checkmate doesn't mean you've simply cornered the enemy King. It's a declaration that the enemy King is yours."

Castiel closed his Bible with a snap. "You are really trying my patience," he said to Crowley in his quiet voice. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Nothing, Castiel, just being a gentleman," Crowley said, feigning innocence. "You remember how to be one of those, don't you?"

Gail was re-taking her seat now, and Castiel cursed himself. In his anger at Crowley, he had missed the opportunity to pull her chair out for her. Crowley was smirking now. What Cas wouldn't give to go over there right now and punch that smile right off his face.

Bobby cleared his throat. "Settle," he growled. "Sam, read," he ordered, glaring at Cas and Crowley. They mercifully lapsed into silence as Sam began to read.

"I won't read the whole thing aloud," Sam said. "We can just skim the material together and point out any words and phrases that stand out as significant. This is the most enigmatic chapter of the Bible, and everyone seems to have their own interpretations of what many of the passages may or may not mean."

"'The time is at hand'," Bobby read aloud. "That one seems fairly straight-ahead."

"One would think so," Castiel said, "but then again, not necessarily."

Bobby frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Many people think this chapter refers to the second coming of Christ, after Armageddon takes place," Castiel said. "But many of these passages and stories were translated from the ancient language, and therefore, the facts may be distorted, and the truth obscured."

Dean was looking at him. "How do you know all that?"

Castiel looked at him, smiling faintly. "I was there, remember?" He jerked his head at Crowley. "So was he."

"Longer than you were, that first time," Crowley pointed out with a wicked grin. He was still smarting from the way Castiel had just spoken to him, and Crowley had no problem whatsoever with sticking the metaphorical knife into his Brother now. Castiel was acting like a stick-up-the-bum Angel once again, and his superior tone was rubbing Crowley the wrong way. It wasn't all that long ago that Gail had been looking to Crowley for help and comfort, not Castiel. Cas would do well to remember that, or Crowley would just have to remind him. And he would make sure that Gail was within full earshot when he did it, too.

Castiel did a double-take but refrained from making a retort. Crowley was obviously referring to the fact that he had murdered Castiel in the Garden. But the both of them had had other incarnations since that time, ones that no one else in this room knew anything about.

"It just so happens that Castiel is right," Crowley continued. "Many of the stories in here that you lot would be familiar with were based on actual events, but sometimes the stories behind the stories are far more interesting. Aren't they, Castiel?" His smile grew wider now.

Now it was Castiel who was uncomfortable. He knew full well what Crowley was alluding to. It had been one of Cas's most embarrassing and distressing moments. Now he was sorry that he had riled his Brother up.

"What are you getting at, Crowley?" Bobby asked him.

"We should just be concentrating on the matter at hand," Castiel grumbled.

"Your friends shouldn't miss out on an opportunity like this," Crowley said. He was positively crowing now. "They'll be the only ones on Earth who will know the real story behind the Flood."

Cas sat back in his chair, pouting now. "They don't want to hear about that," he said in a low voice.

But Dean could smell a rat here, and he didn't think it was Crowley, for a change. His interest was piqued now. "I do," he said.

"So do I," Sam said, grinning. "What happened, Cas? What about the Flood?"

"Nothing," Cas said. "Forget it."

"It wasn't exactly God's vengeance that caused the Flood," Crowley said cheerfully. "Our Father just used the opportunity the Flood brought to try to teach humanity a lesson."

Dean was smiling now. "How did the Flood happen, then?" he asked.

"Castiel?" Crowley prompted.

"I could happily kill you right now," Cas said to him.

Gail had no idea what might have happened, but she was getting angry now. "Would everybody just stop it?" she said. "You're making Cas uncomfortable. Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it. Not everything is your business, you guys."

Cas threw her a look of gratitude, but he knew that it was too late. The can of worms had been opened now. Crowley wasn't going to shut up until he had gotten his pound of flesh. "I caused the Flood," Cas said miserably.

"YOU did?" Bobby blurted out. "And how did you do that?"

"I don't know, exactly," Cas confessed. "I was just a new Angel, and I was testing out some of the powers our Father had given to me. So I made it rain, but I couldn't stop it. For fourty days and fourty nights it rained, and there was nothing I could do about it. I tried everything I could possibly think of. I had to go to our Father and tell him what I'd done. Needless to say, He was not too pleased with me."

Sam and Dean looked at each other, then they burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me with this?" Dean said. "That is too funny."

"Did you have to pay Noah back for all the building materials?" Sam joked.

Gail turned to look at Bobby so Cas wouldn't see her lips twitching furiously. She had to admit, it was pretty funny. Even Bobby's beard was moving now as he was trying not to crack a smile.

"It's not funny," Cas said archly.

But of course, this struck the brothers as even funnier, and they laughed some more. Dean was wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands now. "Thanks, Cas. We needed that," he said, trying to compose himself.

Cas looked at Gail. She was trying to keep a straight face, but she was failing miserably. It had been so good to see the guys laugh like that, almost as if in the face of the extreme tension and fear that they had all been feeling with Lucifer's escape.

"Do YOU think it's funny?" Castiel asked her.

"No," Gail said, but now she was grinning. "OK, yeah, Cas. I'm sorry, but it is kind of funny." She put her hand on his arm. "I mean, come on."

Cas's lips started to twitch now. "All right, Gail. I guess it is kind of funny, after all."

Dean rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. Naturally. "You were mad at us for laughing," he pointed out, "and now, SHE says it's funny, so of course, you think it's funny."

Gail grinned at Dean. "That's because I'm special," she said to him.

Dean started to look around the surface of the table.

"What are you looking for?" Sam asked.

"Something to throw at her," Dean grumbled. "Besides the Bible, that is. My karma's bad enough without throwing a Bible at an Angel with maiming in mind."

They all laughed at that, and even Crowley smiled. Gail looked at him curiously. The King of Hell, providing them with some much-needed levity. Even though it had been at Cas's expense, she was pretty much OK with it. She took Cas's hand and gave it a brief squeeze, and he smiled at her.

"OK, we've had a little fun, now let's get back to business," Bobby said. "What else ya got, Sam?"

"This chapter refers to 'seven spirits, and seven golden candlesticks'," Sam said, his brow furrowing. "I have to say I never understood what that could represent."

"Seven Angels," Castiel said promptly.

"How can you be so sure?" Sam said.

Cas frowned. "I don't know, exactly. I just know. Seven spirits, bearing golden light. That sounds like Angels to me."

"Doesn't sound like Angels to me," Dean said.

"Yeah, I've never seen you bearing any golden light," Sam said, still grinning.

"I've seen golden light coming from Gail," Crowley said suddenly. They all looked at him. "Well, I have," he said defensively.

Cas was nodding. "No, he's right," he confirmed. "Her essence is golden."

Dean was about to make another smartass comment, something about where that gold essence might be emanating from, at least from Cas's viewpoint. But Gail held up her hand, cutting him off. "What would that have to do with anything?" she asked them. How in the world could Revelation be referring to her? She didn't know if the notion was ridiculous, or if it was just frightening as hell. She remembered back to when she had first died and had become an Angel. Right before she had made the big decision, she had asked Castiel to take her back to see the very beginning of his existence. He had taken her back to the Garden, very near the time of Creation itself, and she had witnessed mankind's first murder in the form of Cain, aka Crowley, killing his brother Abel, aka Castiel. She had rushed to Castiel's side, attempting to heal him, but it had been too late, of course. But she hadn't actually been there, had she? She'd always thought that was only a vision, an illusion. Yet God had apparently seen fit to designate her as an Original, and had apparently imbued her with special powers, quite a few of which remained a mystery to her even now. Were they seriously trying to tell her that the golden light carried by the Angels, foretold in Revelation, was supposed to have come from her somehow?

She asked Castiel this now. He was looking very thoughtful. "Yes, I think so," he told her. He turned to Bobby. "I think you need to designate seven Angels to come to Earth, and Gail can confer the light upon them."

Dean stirred in his chair. "What does that even mean?" he grumbled.

But Bobby was nodding. He thought he was getting it. "Those Angels will be sent out to look for Lucifer," he said.

"Makes sense to me," Sam agreed. "Lucifer's Hebrew name is Helel, which means brightness. "Son of the Morning'."

Sounded more like a 60s song to Bobby, but he kept his mouth shut, letting the brainstorming happen.

Gail was shaking her head. If she were to ever try to think of any entity that represented brightness, it certainly would not be Lucifer. "So, what, I'm supposed to give them some of my essence, or something?" she asked.

"I know it sounds weird, but it also sounds right to me for some reason," Bobby remarked.

Dean finally saw his opportunity. "Cas will be one of them, of course," he said, grinning. "He's always thought the sun shines out of Gail's - "

"Watch it, Dean," Gail interrupted him. "I'm not above using my powers on you, you know."

The brothers and the Angels smiled, but Crowley was frowning.

"What's the matter, Crowley?" Bobby asked him.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Crowley said, jerking his head in the direction of the hallway.

Bobby was about to refuse, but he noticed the way that Crowley was glaring at a now-smiling Cas, so he rose from his chair, sighing.

When they got partway down the hall, Crowley wheeled on Bobby. "How can you just sit there and pretend like it never happened?" he said angrily.

Bobby knew what the "it" was, of course. He sighed again. "Look, Crowley, we have no choice," he told the King. "God Himself modified her memory. And, I happen to think He did a merciful thing." But did he really believe that? In a way, he did, but in a way, he didn't. "And, it was her own choice."

"So he just gets away with it," Crowley said disgustedly.

"Why is this bothering you so much?" Bobby asked him. "Look, I know you and Cas have this Biblical sibling rivalry thing going, but you're gonna have to cool it on that for now. Stop winding him up all the time."

"ME wind HIM up?" Crowley said huffily. "You see the way HE talks to ME, don't you?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. Had he honestly ever thought he'd wanted children? "Well, suck it up," he told Crowley. "We have a job to do now, and the only reason you're here is because I thought you might have something to contribute. I could just throw you out of here right now, you know."

Crowley glared at him. Yes, Bobby probably could do just that; he had Godlike powers, didn't he? Even though it seemed that he seldom used them. "You'll want to stay on my good side," he said to Bobby. "Last I looked, I seem to be the only one around here who has the power of revival. I haven't forgotten that God didn't even confer that little gem on you, even though you're supposed to be doing His job. We're about to march head-on into Armageddon here, and if one of yours falls, you'll need me to step up. And I might, if you treat me nicely and ask me politely."

Bobby frowned. As much as he hated it, Crowley was right. "All right, Crowley. Just try to keep the snide comments to yourself. If for no other reason, then for her sake," he added.

Crowley gave him a sharp look. He had no retort for that.

Bobby smiled. He'd thought not.

The humans and the Angels were still flipping through the pages of Revelation when the men returned to the table. They had been keeping the conversation light, waiting for God and the King to return to the discussion.

"Hey, here's one about you, Sam," Gail said, smiling. "'Blessed is he that readeth'."

Sam smiled back. "I've always thought so," he said to her.

"How about he who bleedeth?" Dean quipped.

Castiel smiled absently, but he was looking at Bobby and Crowley, wondering what their conversation had been about. He raised an eyebrow to Bobby, but Bobby gave him an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

So Castiel turned back to the Bible. "The seven Angels have things to be commended about them, and things that are also wanting in them," he remarked.

"Oh, well, then, I guess you are qualified to be one of them," Crowley said, smirking. "I don't know about that first part of it, but I know that you're eminently qualified for that last part," he said to Cas nastily.

Cas glared at Crowley. "We all have our flaws, just as we all have our good points," he said to Crowley. "Some of us more than others, of course."

"Would the two of you just quit it, already?" Gail said irritably. Their constant sniping was really starting to get on her nerves. She was trying to concentrate on what she was reading. "They talk about an Angel with a book," she said. "That must be Chuck."

Bobby could see that. "OK, then we have three designates so far," he said to her. "You, Chuck, and Cas."

"But Chuck's book has sealed itself, and it won't open," Gail continued to read and interpret. "This must be talking about his journal. He told me once that he keeps a journal, and he writes down all his prophecies in it. But if his book is sealed, maybe that means he can't make prophecies anymore."

"Figures," Sam said. "Just when we thought Chuck was going to come in handy, for a change."

"But it says that a lamb who was slain comes along, and he's worthy to open the book," Gail went on.

"Cas," Dean said, gesturing to his friend.

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Why would you say that?" he asked Dean, annoyed. "He's the least lamb-like individual in Heaven."

"He IS a lamb, now," Dean shot back. He was also getting tired of Crowley's constant sniping at Cas. It was one thing for him and Sam to tease Cas, but Crowley's insults were another matter.

"What do you mean, 'now'?" Gail asked Dean.

Crap. They had to stop doing stuff like that. "I'm talking about before you met him," Dean said glibly. "He used to be a soldier, remember?"

"Oh," she said. "Well, he's very lamb-y, now." Cas smiled, taking her hand. God, she was cute.

Crowley felt like he was going to throw up. Sure, he was. Now. No marks on her anymore; none that he could see, at least. But Crowley just couldn't seem to let that go. He opened his mouth to speak again, and Castiel interrupted him hastily.

"There are horses referred to in this section as well, and they have been assigned different colours. The white horse with the crown would be Bobby, of course," Castiel said.

Bobby's beard twitched. "So I'm a horse now?" he said. "Well, I must be the front end, cause I sure see a couple of back ends sitting at this table." It was unclear whether he was talking about Cas and Crowley, who were still eyeing each other like participants in a duel, or Sam and Dean, who were grinning again.

Castiel turned back to the Bible. "And Crowley is the red horse who holds the sword and has taken peace from the Earth." He sat back in his chair, regarding his Brother coolly. "That sounds about right."

Crowley was still seething. "It wasn't so long ago your sword was much redder than mine," he said through clenched teeth. "Let's discuss that, shall we? Maybe we can get Gail's opinion on that subject."

Now Gail was glaring at Crowley, too. What was his problem?

Cas was alarmed. Once again, he had pushed Crowley too far. But Crowley was doing a lot of pushing of his own. How were they ever going to manage to co-exist long enough to deal with Lucifer and the others? He leaned forward, flipping to the next page of the Bible. He'd seen the look on Gail's face. He had to get her mind on something else.

"The black horse is Sam," Cas said. "Logical, balanced, and open-minded."

"Where are you getting that from?" Dean said, bemused. "I've got the same book, and mine doesn't say that anywhere."

"It's my interpretation," Cas said to him. "Sam told us, Dean, that this part is very open to interpretation. Feel free to dispute anything I say."

But Dean shrugged. He couldn't. But he failed to see how any of this was actually helping. What were they doing sitting around reading, when Lucifer was out there somewhere? They should be kicking the Devil's ass. But they had to find his ass first, didn't they?

"And you are the pale horse, Dean, who rides with Death, having killed many times over. Hell follows him," Castiel said grimly.

Now Dean had never felt less like grinning. Yeah, that was him, all right. Who would have ever thought the Bible would have a chapter which summed up him and his life so well in just a couple of sentences?

Gail frowned, seeing the stricken look on Dean's face. "That's harsh, Cas," she chided softly.

"Can anyone here deny its truth?" Castiel said, looking around the table.

Gail was staring at Castiel now. Maybe not, but he was being pretty cold about it. She hadn't seen this side of him for quite a while, and she hadn't really missed it much.

"There's a lot more to you than that, Dean," she assured her friend. "A lot more."

He gave her a grateful look but said nothing.

Bobby cleared his throat. Time to move on. "Great," he said. "I guess this is what we have to look forward to: earthquakes, hail, fire mingled with blood. A third of the world's forests burned up. Water becomes blood, a third of the animals are destroyed, and people are poisoned by the water. Days are dark, with no sun. One-third of man, dead."

"Hey, what are YOU worried about?" Sam asked him. "At least you can wait all that stuff out in Heaven. We're the ones who have to stay here and deal with it." He gestured to himself and Dean.

"I could kill you, if you like," Crowley said, a hint of a smile on his face. The King of Hell strikes again.

"It talks about the Angels who were bound being set loose," Gail said. "Sounds like them to me. So all of that horrible stuff will be their doing?"

"It would appear so," Castiel said. His expression was even more grim now. If they weren't able to stop Lucifer, all of that, and worse, would likely come to pass.

"I've always liked this particular paragraph," Crowley said lazily. "They didn't repent of their murders, sorceries, fornications, or thefts."

"Well, of course they're not repenting!" Bobby thundered. "They're here on Earth, planning to barbecue the human race!"

"I'm not so sure that passage refers to them," Crowley said airily. "It could also refer to everyone sitting here in this room."

They all fell silent for a moment. Crowley was right; they had all done most, if not all, of those things.

"It talks about two witnesses who die, but are resurrected, and they ascend to Heaven, after making prophecies," Gail said. "I wonder what that's all about."

"And more crappy weather," Dean grumbled. He was growing more impatient now, but he was also still brooding about himself, and what Cas had said that Revelation had said about him.

"The next part talks about some woman who's pregnant and has a son that a red dragon wants to eat," Sam mused. "Since when did this become Game of Thrones?"

"The woman flees into the wilderness after having her son," Gail said, picking up the narrative. She looked at Crowley, astonished. "Rowena?"

Crowley did a double-take. No, it couldn't be. "She left me because she's selfish. Not because she had a bloody dragon after her," he said to Gail sharply. "Stop believing in fairy tales."

"The Devil is cast down to Earth, and he's angry because he knows he's got just a short time," Sam continued. "Well, except for the fact that he wasn't cast from Heaven this time, it fits."

"The dragon persecutes the woman we were just talking about." Gail picked up the thread. Sam and Gail were both getting into it now, collaborating in their efforts to understand what the words they were reading really meant. "I guess the dragon is the Devil?"

"Now I'm hoping the woman IS my mother," Crowley quipped.

"She can't be," Castiel said. He had been skipping ahead. "It goes on to say that her seed keeps God's Commandments. That certainly wouldn't be you," he added sarcastically.

"Who was it, convicted at a tribunal hearing based on the Commandments and sentenced to death?" Crowley retorted acidly. "Hmm, let me think. Oh, yes, that was you, Castiel. A death I will remind you that I brought you back from, much to my daily regret."

Cas frowned, but he had to admit, his Brother had gotten him good that time. Gail's hand sought his, and he grasped it gratefully. The tribunal and his execution would always be a sore spot for them; most of all for Cas, because he was responsible for its horrible aftermath.

"So now there's some beast, making war with the saints," Dean said, breaking the silence. "This would make a great action movie, but it makes a lousy book. Is the beast Lucifer? Are the saints the Angels? Why don't they just say what they mean?"

Everyone shrugged. They knew what Dean was talking about, but it was what it was.

"And now they're talking about a second beast, who causes everyone to worship the first beast," Dean continued. "Must be Metatron. So the world's gonna be filled with Devil worshippers? Fan-freakin'-tastic. Time to restock the weapons, Sammy."

"It also says here that he who killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword," Sam pointed out, grinning.

Dean shrugged. "What else is new?" he said casually. "At least we can take as many bastards as we can with us when we go."

"Speaking of which," Crowley interjected, turning to Bobby, "I need your promise to have your people stand down when my minions arrive." He looked around the table at them all individually. "And I'll tell them the same, of course. We have a common enemy, or enemies. It's them we want to take down."

"Can you guarantee that?" Bobby asked him.

"If you can," Crowley said pointedly, looking at Castiel.

"What are you looking at me for?" Cas asked Crowley, annoyed.

"Really, Castiel?" Crowley said. "You don't know?"

"We promise," Bobby said shortly. "Right, Cas?"

Castiel was doing the slow burn. So he was supposed to allow untold numbers of Demons to walk around the Earth and be expected to do nothing about it? But Bobby had promised, and Bobby was God.

"Will HE guarantee THEIR behaviour?" Cas spit out.

"One cannot absolutely guarantee a Demon's behaviour, Castiel," Crowley said slyly. "You of all people should know that. Sometimes they behave badly, especially if they think they can get away with it. But we never do, Cas. We never do."

In one fluid motion, Castiel rose from his chair, rushed around to the other side of the table, and grabbed Crowley by the lapel of his suit, hauling him to his feet.

"You will mind that tongue, or I'll cut it out for you," Castiel said quietly, pressing the tip of the blade he'd drawn to Crowley's face.

Now Crowley looked scared. He'd pushed and pushed, and finally his Brother had snapped. And Crowley had no powers here.

Then Gail was pulling Cas away from Crowley, shaking her head. Wow. That had escalated quickly, she thought. But it wasn't as though she didn't know that about Cas. They'd even joked about him going to anger management classes, hadn't they? At least, she seemed to recall that they had, even if she couldn't quite remember when they had.

"Come sit down, Cas," she said softly. "He's just being an ass."

Cas was breathing heavily, but he did step back from Crowley. He and his Brother continued to glare at each other. Crowley was driving him crazy. How much longer could he maintain this grand deception, especially when Crowley continued to talk like that? But it would have to come from Cas himself, somehow. If Gail heard the truth from Crowley first, and if she were to believe him, Cas would be finished. But he couldn't tell her now, not with this crisis going on. No, he would have to wait until the three fugitives had been captured. Gail would probably storm out, at the very least, and he needed to be with her at all times to protect her from their enemies. A perfectly logical reason for keeping silent.

Gail's hand was on his face now, touching it gently. "Please go sit down, Cas," she repeated.

He gave a deep sigh, then took her hand and kissed it, stashing his blade with his other hand. Then he turned and walked back around the table, sinking heavily into his chair.

Gail wheeled on Crowley. "And, you? You need to shut up. One more word and I'll cut you myself."

"I was merely talking about Demons and their behaviour," Crowley said innocently.

"I don't know what you think you're trying to pull, but you never 'merely' do anything," Gail retorted. "When I told you we were revising the suicide clause, you tried to talk me out of it. And look how that worked out for you." Her mouth shut with a snap. What the hell had she just said? Suddenly, she did remember sitting at some diner with Crowley, both of them pretending to drink coffee and poring over the ancient language. "I remember that now," she said in a faraway voice. "You were pretty annoyed with me over that." Her face broke into a smile. "I remember that now!" she repeated. "Thank God, I'm not losing my mind!"

Castiel looked up sharply. How could she possibly be remembering that? God had wiped her memory clean. She couldn't be fighting God's modification, could she? How was that even possible?

Crowley was amazed, as well. Their Father was the most powerful being there had ever been. There was no way. God must have pulled back a little, leaving her with the capacity to recover certain memories. But why would this memory be the first one that had come back?

He smiled. "I am truly sorry, Gail. I meant nothing by it." There. He was smiling at her gently, apologizing like a gentleman, and Castiel was behaving like a violent lunatic. Shades of last Christmas.

But Gail rolled her eyes and walked back around the table to where Cas sat. He jumped up from his chair and pulled hers out for her. He knew what Crowley was trying to do, but that wasn't going to happen. He kissed her on the forehead once she was seated, then sat back down himself, staring evenly at Crowley.

Crowley sat down too, making a big show of smoothing the lapel on his jacket where Castiel had grabbed him.

Bobby glared at both Cas and Crowley. He didn't know who to be more pissed off at. Cas was going to have to start controlling himself better; he couldn't just go around pulling his blade on anyone who said the word "Demon". But Crowley was deliberately provoking him, and Bobby had already warned him.

"One more word to him and you're out of here," Bobby growled, looking at Crowley. Suddenly, he felt like a major-league umpire.

Crowley said nothing, but inside, he was sulking. Why was it that whenever something like this happened, Crowley seemed to be the only one who received the dressing-down? Which of the two of them had been threatening violence? Same stuff, different millennium. Crowley had always been the one who'd gotten into trouble, while his Brother always seemed to skate through.

Dean had been enjoying the floor show, but he broke the silence now. "It says here that anyone who doesn't worship the beast will be killed. His followers will receive some kind of mark on their forehead, or on their right hand."

He sat back in his chair, thinking about that. It seemed to him that their lives for the past few years had revolved around some kind of a mark. When they'd first met Gail, Dean had been dealing with the Mark of Cain on his arm. Then, this past year, Gail had suffered painful marks all over her body, put there by Cas. And now, he was reading about marks again. These particular marks sounded like tattoos, like being branded by Satan, almost. That was how he'd felt when he had had the Mark on his arm, and how Dean imagined that Gail had felt, as well. The fact that each had received their marks through no fault of their own was irrelevant; once received, the marks branded you for life. Even when they were gone. Dean now had all of his own memories of that dark period in his life, plus he carried Gail's memories for her, as well. Better him than her, he thought grimly. He was the pale horse; he could take it.

"So everybody'll run around with '666' tattooed on their skin?" Sam said sardonically. "Guess we'll have to go for all the bikers first, then."

"No, he won't be that overt," Crowley said in a subdued tone. "He'll be far more subtle than that when it comes to recruiting followers. The Devil doesn't come to you with red face and horns, boys. He comes to you disguised as everything you've ever wanted."

Silence, as they all digested this. Despite his anger at Crowley, Castiel had to admit that the King had spoken the truth, and he had phrased it very eloquently. But then, Crowley should know. He had built the Kingdom of Hell by making deals with people based on their fondest desires. Cas himself had fallen prey to that very same thing when he had elected to retain Crowley's Demon essence in an effort to alter his personality, to gain the power of revival, and to become the kind of man that he thought could hold on to Gail. But it had all been an illusion. And Lucifer was fully capable of doing the same thing, on a much larger scale. Hadn't Cas and Gail just been talking this morning about humans looking for strong leaders? Maybe they should be searching for a young, up-and-coming politician, or something. He made a mental note to bring that up after they had finished their review of Revelation. He didn't want them to get sidetracked again. There might be important information yet to be uncovered.

But Dean had found Chapter 14, and he snapped his Bible shut with a thump. "That's it, Sammy," he said. "We're done."

"What is it?" Gail said, alarmed. "What did you find?" She was flipping pages, trying to figure out what he'd seen that could make him react that way.

"Chapter 14, Verse 4," Dean lamented.

Gail found it, and she read aloud, paraphrasing. "The hundred and fourty-four thousand that will be redeemed from the earth...have to be virgins?" She looked up at Dean in amazement.

"Well, it's been nice knowing you, Gail," Dean said sarcastically. "Say hi to the other hundred and fourty-three thousand."

"Drop us a postcard when you get back to Heaven," Sam said, grinning. He wasn't too worried about that part. Cas had said that the Bible was translated from the ancient language, and it was loosely translated, at best. Sam was with MLK on this one. It wasn't the status of your physical body that was important, it was the content of your character, in Sam's opinion. He knew Bobby felt the same way, and Bobby was God, wasn't he? In fact, if this criteria were to be taken literally, Bobby wouldn't even be able to get into his own office, Sam thought with amusement.

"But I'm not...one, and Cas isn't, either," Gail said.

"Maybe you get a pass because you're already Angels," Sam said, still smiling.

"No, YOU get a pass, Gail. Cas doesn't," Dean said grumpily.

"What do you mean?" Gail asked him, puzzled by his comment.

Dean yanked the Bible off the table and flipped through the pages. "Right there," he said, thumping the book back on the table and pointing. "'Those are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins'," he quoted. "Women, Gail. So unless you have a whole other side to your life I don't know anything about, you're the only one going to Heaven here." Then he looked sideways at Crowley. "Maybe you, too. The jury's still out."

Sam and Gail burst out laughing. "What version do you have there?" Gail teased. "The one written by King James, or the one written by the patron saint of Gullible People?" Now Cas was smiling, too.

Bobby's beard twitched. He'd been flipping ahead while this exchange had been going on. He was amused, too, but he was growing impatient now. They were getting bogged down; it was time to move it along.

"It also says here that the seven Angels release seven vials of plague upon the Earth, and I'm sure as hell not gonna do that," Bobby stated.

"That's one of those passages that I feel is open to interpretation," Castiel said, his tone businesslike once again. "Of course we wouldn't release literal plagues upon the Earth. But the number seven is clearly significant, and we just have to figure out what might be meant by the word 'plague'. Gail? Sam?" he prompted.

Sam and Gail smiled at each other. Funny how the two of them were always the go-to for when the group needed something figured out. Gail was extremely flattered that the men generally seemed to view her as having the same level of intelligence as Sam.

"Plague," she said to Sam.

"To pester, bother, or annoy," he responded.

Gail looked at Bobby. "Can we deputize Dean as an Angel for a day?" She and Sam laughed.

"Shut up, Gail," Dean said, good-naturedly enough.

"But they're visiting the plague on the followers of the Devil," Crowley pointed out. He'd been reading that part avidly. Couched in riddles or not, it was reading like a good horror story. Sores, pain, gnawing of tongues...now, that was more like it. Not this silly virgin nonsense. Good luck finding one hundred and fourty-four thousand virgins on Earth, or anywhere else. His Father didn't give a damn about what people did in bed; He was all about power, and vengeance. At least, that was how Crowley saw it. And he didn't see what was wrong with unleashing a little bit of vengeance upon the unfortunate souls who chose to throw in with Lucifer. They would soon find out that there was a lot of sizzle, but very little steak. Lucifer wasn't cut out to lead anything. He was a whiny brat who relied on a bag of tricks to play with people, that was all. Yes, it could be fatal to underestimate him, as Crowley had underestimated Aurielle. But in Crowley's mind, Metatron was the bigger threat. He was a loose cannon with nothing to lose, and if he was the brains behind the operation, everyone in this room had best be on their game.

"That doesn't make it right," Castiel argued. "If humans are willing to follow him, that just means they're desperate, or gullible; not necessarily evil, or bad."

Crowley let out an impatient breath. "That's the trouble with you Angels. Some people are just beyond redemption. Some deserve to die."

Dean was worried about himself for it, but he tended to agree with Crowley on that one. But he had been looking at the same passages Crowley was reading, and they looked pretty horrifying to him.

But they were getting bogged down again, and Bobby was flipping through the pages faster now. "More destruction, whore of Babylon, greedy rich folks, blah, blah. God as the white horse, laying down the law. I guess that's me. Great. I'd better get good and pissed off, then."

Sam and Dean grinned, but Castiel was ignoring them for the moment. His eye had fallen upon the passages which referred to the marriage of the Lamb. Now he hoped he WAS the Lamb. A marriage ceremony was mentioned, and the Lamb's bride was arraying herself in white. He allowed himself a moment to picture Gail walking down the aisle in a beautiful white dress, and him waiting at the altar in his suit, maybe even a tuxedo. Bobby could marry them, and Frank could give her away. Sam and Dean would be standing next to him, and he would need their support because he would be trembling as he took her hand and they said their vows before God and everyone assembled. Then he would kiss her, and she would kiss him back. Maybe they could ask Bobby to give them a wedding gift, and they could drink champagne and enjoy a feast afterwards. He would take her to Europe for their honeymoon, and they could see all the sights together that he had tried to see before but had not enjoyed because he'd been alone and miserable without her. She could take pictures and e-mail them to their friends back home, but they would stay away as long as they wanted because there would be no more threats, and no more enemies to defeat. It would be just the two of them, and it would be glorious. They would make love as often as they both wanted; maybe try a few more letters of the alphabet, if she wanted. Anything she wanted. They would lay in bed and cuddle, and talk. There was so much left for them to talk about. He didn't even know when her birthday was, and they had been together for almost two years now. Well, they had been together in his heart the whole time, anyway.

Cas looked at Gail now. "When is your birthday?" he blurted out.

She looked back at him, surprised by the question. "October 3rd," she said. "Why?" She leaned in to look closer at the Bible. "There's nothing in there about that, is there?"

Cas smiled. "No. I just thought it was about time I found out." He was glad he had asked; it was less than a month away. They would take care of this current crisis, and then he would go shopping for her birthday. And he knew just what he was going to get her, too.

"We'll throw you a big party," Bobby said, somewhat irascibly, "but right now, let's just finish, already. I'm starting to feel like I need reading glasses. And the fun's not over yet, kids. Chapter 20 says Lucifer will be locked up for a thousand years, but then he'll get loose again."

"I'm afraid he'll be your problem then, Bobby," Sam said with a grin. "I sincerely doubt I'll be around by then, and the way Dean eats, I know he won't be."

"I hate to tell you this, Sam, but you and Dean will be Angels by then, and we'll all still be together," Gail said with a smile.

Bobby nearly winced, but he kept his face straight. They'd be together, all right, but they wouldn't be Angels, and they wouldn't be in Heaven with him. They'd be stuck with Crowley for eternity, but not in Hell, either. All five were on Death's master list, slated for the Netherworld. As were Lucifer, Metatron, and Aurielle. And a few other names of note, though not Bobby himself. As the reigning God, Bobby was the only one who knew whose names were on that list, but he wasn't allowed to tell anyone, under penalty of death. He'd divulged to Dean that Sam's name was on that list under duress, when Sam had been in that coma and Dean had been about to pull the plug. But Bobby still had the scorch mark on his chest that he had received as punishment for that little stunt. He had no idea what the Netherworld was all about, though. Was there any kind of a life there? Would they have to fight their enemies for eternity, just like in Purgatory? Or would there be peace, and could they be happy there together? He looked at his four friends with affection. He hoped so. They's all gone through so damn much, and their greatest test was about to come. He'd once heard that God gave His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers, and that was certainly true here.

"Wait a minute," Sam said. "Could now be the period after a thousand years?"

Castiel and Crowley looked at each other, both of them trying to remember what had been going on a thousand years ago. Wars, famine, religious turmoil, probably. Same old, same old. Nothing special came to mind.

"Sorry, Sam, but I don't remember," Cas said.

Bobby was studying these passages too, and he hoped that Sam was right. If this was actually the second go-round, it appeared as if the Devil and the beast were going to be gone for good this time. But, this was interesting, now: the chapter was talking about the Book of Life, which was used to judge the dead. Did this book exist? If so, what was in it, and where was it? It also mentioned that death and hell would be cast into the lake of fire. Was the lake of fire the Hell they knew now, or was it something else? And, maybe most interesting of all, those whose names weren't written in the Book of Life were also supposed to be cast into the lake of fire. Hadn't Bobby just been thinking about a place where names were written: Death's list for the Netherworld? Was one connected to the other, maybe? After this was all over, he intended to get some answers.

"I like the part about there being no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain," Gail said softly. "Wouldn't that be nice." She was thinking about all of the adversity that they had faced in the last year and a half, and she didn't even remember a lot of the pain and tears she had suffered, Cas knew. He put his arms around her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "It will be," he told her. "That will be our future. You'll see."

Crowley snorted in derision. His Brother was living in a dream world. Life would never be like that for any of them seated at this table. But he said nothing. That had been nice to imagine for a minute, even for him.

Bobby closed his Bible. "Well, that's it. Unless anybody's got anything else, I think I've had enough for today."

"What's the plan, Bobby?" Dean asked him. He was eager to spring into action.

"I guess I'd better get up to Heaven and pick my other four Angels," Bobby said, rising from his chair. Castiel and Gail got up, too. "I'll bring all seven down here in a bit," Bobby told the Winchesters. "And I think you boys had better give them a crash course on how to fight." He sighed. "Or, at least, on how to defend themselves."

"I'll help with that, of course," Castiel said, "and Gail can help too, if she wishes."

Gail gave Bobby a tight smile. "If any of the Angels you pick are female, I can show them Dean's trick," she said. "Depending on how long they've been Angels, they might not know about that one." She looked at Dean, and they smiled at each other. He gave her a salute.

Cas and Gail moved to where Bobby stood. Gail blew a kiss to Sam and Dean. "See you soon," she told them. She looked at Crowley. "And thanks for coming, but the next time I see you, you'd better have an improved attitude," Gail said to him. "Or you may find out about Dean's trick first-hand."

The Angels disappeared, and Crowley couldn't help but smile. Gail was the Queen of the parting shot. Her time apart from Castiel had apparently done her a wealth of good. She was the same spunky girl that he remembered now, and he was glad.

He turned to look at Sam and Dean. "Drink?" he said hopefully.


	2. Walk With Me This Day

"Gordon" had been perusing the Bible, too. When he and "Allison" had been shown to their room, he'd looked around, and the only reading material he'd seen besides the hotel literature had been the Bible on the nightstand. So he'd taken off his shoes and propped himself up on the bed, using every pillow. Might as well read in comfort. It certainly beat sitting cross-legged on a cold stone floor for untold centuries.

Aurielle emerged from the bathroom, frowning. "I haven't missed that," she said with distaste.

Lucifer looked at her, amusement in his eyes. "Hey, you wanted to experience all of the Earthly sensations. Every rose has its thorns, 'Allison'."

When they had first arrived on Earth, Lucifer had taken them downtown, searching for the finest hotel the city had to offer. After years of enforced self-denial, he'd wanted to live life in comfort and ease. And he wanted to hole up for a day or two, formulate a plan. Contrary to what the Winchesters, the Angels, and the King believed, Lucifer didn't have a grand, evil plan at the moment. He'd figured he would just play it by ear. He was certain the inspiration would come. Right now, he was just savouring his freedom.

They had taken new vessels outside the hotel. Aurielle had seen a very pretty woman standing out front waiting for a taxi, and Aurielle looked at Lucifer, who had nodded. Then Aurielle had engaged the woman in conversation and persuaded her to accompany Aurielle to the next street, where Aurielle told her she had a car parked. She'd be glad to give Allison a ride; one woman helping another. You couldn't be too careful these days. So the unsuspecting woman had gone with Aurielle, and once they were alone, Aurielle took her. It was kind of a shame to have to give up her previous vessel, the one she'd had for so long; but this one was very appealing, much more attractive than her old one had been. Castiel would be well pleased by the upgrade, she thought.

Lucifer himself had taken a homeless man who had been lying in the alleyway next to the hotel. He wanted to be someone who had fallen off the grid and wouldn't be missed. When he emerged from his cocoon to begin the operation, whatever form it might take, Lucifer wanted to be someone that no one would know, or recognize. And this guy would do just fine, once he cleaned the vessel up.

Once they had acquired their vessels, Lucifer had steered Aurielle further into the alleyway, pulling her behind a dumpster. Her back was against the wall, and he was standing very close.

"What are you doing?" she'd asked apprehensively.

Lucifer was amused. "Time for some Earthly pleasures."

She made to walk away, but he grabbed her arm. "Let go of me," Aurielle protested. "Just because I came here with you doesn't mean I'm willing to do anything like that with you."

Lucifer was grinning now. "Get your mind out of the gutter," he said cheerfully. "I merely meant, I was going to give us the opportunity to experience Earthly pleasures while we're here. You know: eating, drinking, sleeping, if we want. Some of those things can be very pleasurable." Then he did leer at her. "There are those others too, of course. And you'll want those if you're going to have a shot at Castiel. He's quite experienced in those areas now, thanks to the lovely Angel Gail."

Aurielle had frowned at the mention of her rival's name, and Lucifer's amusement grew. This woman sure had a one-track mind. Her entire existence revolved around Castiel, it seemed. And Castiel couldn't give a damn about her. It was equal parts pathetic and funny. Lucifer did kind of like Aurielle, though, because he liked crazy people. He understood them, and he fed off of them. They had a certain aura about them that Lucifer just loved.

Aurielle had thought about what Lucifer was saying, and she decided that he was right. Now that she was in a more visually appealing vessel, she needed to be able to feel all of the sensations that Castiel so obviously craved. So she allowed Lucifer to put his hand on her forehead, and the green glow emanated from his hand and illuminated the area where they were standing. Now she understood why they'd had to go behind the dumpster. If anyone saw them doing this, they would think that aliens had landed, or something. Which she supposed was true, in a way. That thought had struck her as funny, and she laughed as Lucifer removed his hand. She was already feeling like a new woman.

Lucifer had touched his own forehead then. Another green glow, and they were all set. They walked into the hotel lobby and checked in. Lucifer used Castiel's "two-finger system" to persuade the desk clerk to give them a deluxe suite, even though they had no money, no identification, and no luggage.

The instant they'd entered the suite, Aurielle had headed to the bathroom. She'd thought she was going there merely to check on her appearance, but once she was in there, she'd suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to urinate.

Lucifer was grinning at her when she'd emerged from the bathroom. Aurielle sighed. She supposed he was right; every form of existence had its good points and its bad points.

"So, what are we now? Demons, or humans?" she asked him.

"Both, and neither," he replied enigmatically. "We're hybrids, if you will. But don't worry, when the time comes, you'll have the best qualities of both. I'm sure your Castiel will be well satisfied."

Aurielle had been frowning, but now she brightened. Lucifer had said the magic word.

He knew that, of course, and he didn't mind stoking the fire. Aurielle's delusions would serve Lucifer well. She would assist him in whatever mischief he intended to make here on Earth, if he dangled Castiel as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And when the time came for Lucifer to seek out the couple, Aurielle could have her Castiel; Lucifer would be occupying himself with Gail. He had not forgotten the way she had humiliated him at the meeting of the Originals, taunting him about being a virgin. And Lucifer hated Castiel. Though they had never actually met prior to that occasion, Lucifer had been hearing about Castiel for his entire existence, and he had already been sick of him when they'd finally met. Castiel the Great, their Father's favourite Son. No matter how much Castiel screwed up, and that had been a lot, God had always supported Castiel and given him blessings. Look at what he was enjoying right now. He was an Angel again, he had his friends and his exalted status in Heaven back, and he had the undying devotion of the little Angel Gail, whose memory had now been conveniently modified by the very same Father who had always indulged Castiel to the point of spoiling him. Lucifer knew all of this; now that he had been freed from the cage, he was back to full strength, and full power. He knew many things. His hatred for his Brother grew as he realized that Castiel had gotten off scot-free. He had been a monster, and he had hurt Gail and his friends very badly. But now, most of them had absolutely no recollection of that whole episode. Gail thought the sun and the moon rose with Castiel, and it made Lucifer sick. He was with Crowley on this one. Lucifer had plans for those two; he just had to figure out the best way to accomplish his goal. But he had to be clever about it. Lucifer didn't want to just knock on the door of the Angels' place and have an old-fashioned swordfight with Castiel over possession of Gail. There were several reasons for that, but mainly, Lucifer didn't think that would be good enough. Taking Gail by force would momentarily wound Castiel, but he would just call on Bobby and the Winchesters, and they would marshal the troops to get her back. Crowley might even join them. And Gail herself would fight him every step of the way. Lucifer had no interest in rape, contrary to what most would believe about him. He thought it would be much more satisfying to have Gail come to him of her own accord. But exactly how could that be accomplished? He wasn't yet sure. Step One would be to somehow pry her away from Castiel, and that would not be easy. Even though he could not see inside the bunker itself, Lucifer knew that there had been a strategy meeting there, and that Heaven and Hell had agreed to join forces to track him down and apprehend him. Well, he wished them luck with that. Lucifer had shielded himself now, and he had shielded Aurielle, too. Since she refused to get the warding tattoo, he'd had to do so to keep her from being detected by God or the Angels. Lucifer had even given them Earthly pseudonyms to use: Gordon and Allison. Two perfectly ordinary human names. And Lucifer had actually given himself a middle and a last name: Gordon Oliver Devlin. Six-six-six, the initials stood for God, and the last name was as close to "Devil" as he could get using six letters. Never let it be said that Lucifer didn't have a wicked sense of humour.

Their little "strategy" session didn't concern Lucifer much. How could they plan a strategy to defeat him when he didn't even know himself exactly what he was planning to do yet? The Winchesters were humans, and eminently vulnerable. Lucifer was quite familiar with Sam and his psyche from their time spent together in the cage, and even though he'd only met Dean very briefly that one time that Gail had brought him to the cage, Lucifer knew that Dean Winchester was even more screwed up than his brother. Actually, a lot more. It might be fun to play with him a little, first. Psychologically speaking, of course. Although Dean did have a very aesthetically pleasing appearance. Lucifer might not be as evil in certain aspects of his existence as his reputation would suggest, but he had decided that he would enjoy a little variety in his Earthly pleasures. Nothing too kinky, though. No extreme perversions would be necessary for Lucifer's current needs. After he was done with the Angel Gail, he might try an experience with the opposite sex, just to compare and contrast, in a manner of speaking. Then he might move on to threesomes, or even to an orgy. But that was about all that Lucifer was interested in. No pedophilia or sock puppets for him. Leave those things to repugnant beings like Metatron, or Crowley, perhaps. Lucifer was above all that. He had standards.

He setlled back into the pillows and opened the Bible as Aurielle moved to the window, looking down at the city below. Indianapolis, Indiana. Lucifer had chosen to come to a city in middle America, only a couple of states away from the bunker. Aurielle thought about Castiel; so close, and yet so far. She could almost feel him. He wouldn't be able to feel her, though. Even though she was a Demon hybrid now, Lucifer had shielded her from the Angels' vision, just to be on the safe side. Lucifer had called them "hybrids", whatever that meant. Well, she hadn't had any luck with Castiel when she'd been an Angel, or a Demon, either. Maybe this new incarnation could get his attention. She thought about the Earthly pleasures Lucifer had mentioned. She could still feel Castiel's kiss on her lips. He had kissed her in the cabin, and Aurielle knew that he had enjoyed it. He may claim he'd thought she was Gail at the time, but Aurielle knew better. Now she was mentally reliving the scene that Crowley had shown her of the Angels making love, picturing herself in Gail's place. Aurielle could feel herself getting excited as she pictured Castiel naked on top of her, kissing her. She couldn't wait to find out what that felt like. She would do anything he wanted, anything he needed her to do. Anything to get him, and to keep him.

Lucifer looked at Aurielle's back, smirking. He could read her just like the book he had in his hand. But what she was thinking about now would likely set this particular book on fire. Funny that it was the Angels who seemed to be more perverted than the Demons these days. Look at what Metatron had confessed to in the cage, though he could hardly be classified as an Angel any more. And just where was Metatron, anyway? Hanging around a schoolyard someplace? Waiting for recess? Lucifer shook his head slowly. And people called HIM evil.

He started leafing through the Bible, idly flipping the pages. He landed on Revelation. Of course; this must be why he had picked up the Bible in the first place. Lucifer was a great believer in intuition, and in listening to one's impulses.

He bent to read. So, this was supposed to be his blueprint, was it? He saw the reference to the seven spirits with the seven golden candlesticks, and Lucifer got it right away. His old vessel may have become atrophied by all those millennia of being trapped in the cage, but his brain was not. So, Bobby was going to send seven Angels to search for him. And they would be imbued with Gail's golden essence. Lucifer knew that her essence was gold, too; he'd seen it when she had been collecting everyone's essences as part of the cure. And she was an Original, which meant that the designates would probably be infused with some of her powers. Unfortunately, he had no idea what those were. But the chapter also said that though these Angels would have commendable qualities, they would also be found wanting in some areas. Good. He could work with that. If they were lucky enough to find him, that was. But, who was he kidding? He would let them. He couldn't resist the thought of playing with them. And he was sure that Castiel and Gail herself would be two of those designates. How could you not send two Originals after one? So Lucifer could play with the lesser Angels until he'd had his fill, and then he would take Gail, or persuade her to let herself be taken. She may have forgotten about Castiel's Demonic phase, but Lucifer hadn't.

He bent to read some more.

Bobby had picked his Angels, and he sat behind his desk now, looking at them. He'd asked Cas and Gail to wait outside while he briefed the others.

He told his new soldiers about the situation, and that he was sending them down to the bunker immediately to receive a crash course in combat.

Chuck groaned. He remembered the workout he'd received from Cas the one time that Chuck had tried to train. He'd been sore for weeks afterwards, and his resolve to get into shape had fallen by the wayside. "Can I get Gail this time?" he pleaded.

The other Angels laughed, but Bobby's face was grim. "This isn't playtime, Chuck. There may come a time when you'll have to fight for your life or kill in order to defend yourself or someone else. I'm not sending all of you out there like lambs to the slaughter."

"I can take care of myself," Ethan protested. "I was a cop on Earth, and I'm the head of Law Enforcement here." Bobby had finally given him that long-overdue promotion.

"Why are you here?" Bobby asked Ethan.

"Why am I here?" Ethan echoed. "Because you called and told me to come here."

"No, I mean: why are you in Heaven?" Bobby asked.

Now Ethan was really confused. "Because I died?" he said uncertainly.

"And how did you die?" Bobby asked him pointedly.

"I was murdered," Ethan replied, and then he got it. He gave Bobby a tight smile. "OK, Bobby, I hear you," he said. "I guess I could use a bit of a refresher course."

"Me too," Kevin piped up. Ethan and Chuck looked sideways at him, smirking. The only fighting Kevin would have done on Earth would have been with his mother, over his bedtime, or his curfew.

Kevin frowned. He knew that no one took him seriously when it came to the subject. He was of slight build, shorter than the other guys, and he had only ever been known for his intellect. And, contrary to the stereotype, he didn't know any martial arts. Maybe he could fool the enemy into thinking that he did, if he watched old Bruce Lee films, or some Jackie Chan.

Linda was frowning at Bobby. She didn't mind the idea of going to Earth to hunt down the Devil and kill him, but she wasn't too wild about Bobby having drafted her son, as well. Kevin wasn't a fighter; Linda was the fighter in their family. But Bobby was God, and part of being an Angel was serving God. Linda had never been too good at following orders, though. That was the main reason she had left Kevin's father.

Becky was excited, of course. She was going to see Sam! She'd get Sam to train her, and he would probably have to touch her at some point. Now that the laws in Heaven were different, Kevin had become a little more bold, and it was becoming a problem for her. She had let him put his arms around her and kiss her on the lips, but when he had started to use his tongue, Becky had pulled away. She didn't want to do that with Kevin. Kevin had been puzzled. He'd been thinking about nothing but that very thing since the new laws had been passed, and he'd thought that Becky would want to try it, too. Hey, they were young, weren't they? All those music videos he'd seen on Earth were in the back of his mind. He didn't want to push Becky, but she had to give him a break here. They'd been together for quite a while now, after all. Look at Cas and Gail. They held hands and kissed all the time. And rumour had it they might be doing some other stuff, too. Maybe Kevin would try to screw up the courage to ask Cas how to go about persuading a woman to...then again, maybe not. Cas was pretty badass, and that subject was awfully personal.

Linda was looking from Kevin to Becky and then back again. There was something fishy with the two of them; she just didn't know exactly what. Since those so-called new laws had been passed, Linda had been keeping a closer eye on the couple. She had figured that Becky would try to tempt Kevin into doing something that maybe he shouldn't be doing. Or, maybe he just shouldn't be doing it with Becky. Linda didn't quite trust Becky to do right by her son. She was sweet enough, if a bit empty-headed, but there was just something about Becky that was a little off. So Linda supposed she was glad that they had all been chosen by Bobby to go down to Earth together. If Linda spent a bit more time with Becky, she was sure she could figure out what exactly was going on with her.

"Gail will be helping you ladies," Bobby said to Linda and Becky. "She's got a few tricks up her sleeve." He smiled inwardly, remembering what Gail had said about teaching them Dean's trick. Though he strongly suspected that Linda would already know it. Maybe she had even used it herself a couple of times. Linda was feisty, and she wasn't afraid to stand up to anyone. When Bobby had been thinking about the other Angels he was supposed to designate, he'd felt he should include a couple of females, so that Gail wouldn't be the only one. Lucifer might not be expecting that; weren't most of those old-time Biblical guys male chauvinists? Look at the former board members and how they had behaved when Cas had brought Gail into the boardroom to sit down at the table with them. So Bobby had picked Linda as the most likely female, next to Gail, who might give Lucifer a hard time. But then, when he had gone to talk to Kevin, Becky had been there, and she had begged Bobby to be included. Bobby had agreed, but now he wondered if that had been a stupid decision. Becky was sweet, and she meant well, but she was also incredibly naive sometimes. What if Lucifer were to get a hold of her? How would Bobby feel if that happened?

So he'd talked to Castiel about it, and Cas had said he didn't necessarily see a problem with it. Sometimes, females could surprise you. Look at Gail. She was a pretty good fighter; she had tangled with men nearly twice her size. Cas and Gail could help to train Becky how to defend herself, or at the very least, how to evade an attacker. And Cas happened to agree with Bobby; Lucifer likely wouldn't be expecting any of their little search party to be female.

"But what if Lucifer gets a hold of her?" Bobby had asked him then. "How would we feel about that if that were to happen?"

Castiel had looked thoughtful. "You know, that might not be a bad idea," he had said.

"What's not a bad idea?" Gail had piped up.

Castiel had replied, but he'd avoided her eyes when he said it. "Maybe we could use her as bait."

Gail couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You did not just say that," she had said, her eyes widening.

Then Castiel had looked at her, and his expression was grim. "We're in a war, Gail, or we're about to be. I thought you understood that. We all read Revelation, did we not? The Beast is loose, and Armageddon is at hand. We have to use whatever tactics may become necessary."

"Well, I'll be deciding what's necessary, and we won't be doing that," Bobby had said, frowning at Cas. He remembered Cas having told him about some of the stuff that Cas and Jason had pulled during the Angel wars, and some of it had chilled his blood. Hopefully, Cas wasn't regressing.

"And if we were going to do something like that, we would be using me, of course," Gail had told the men.

"No," Castiel had said shortly.

"Why not?" Gail had retorted. "I already know how to fight, and I'm an Original, aren't I? I'd be way better bait than Becky."

Now Castiel was sorry that he had brought it up. "Forget I said anything," he had said to them.

Gail had smiled then. "Yeah, I thought so," she'd said, kissing Cas on the cheek. She knew that this was a serious matter, but she couldn't let him talk like that. They had to stand together now. Nobody was going to be pushed out there like that to be bait for the Devil. Shame on Castiel for even thinking that way. But Gail knew what he had been like before. He'd told her in Dallas, and the lessons had been reinforced at the tribunal. He wasn't perfect, that was for sure. There were some dark pockets in there sometimes. But she loved him anyway, in spite of those. It's not like she was perfect, either. Whether Cas thought the sun shone out of her you-know-what or not, they had had their disagreements from time to time, and some of them had been her fault, too.

Bobby snapped back to the present. Thinking about that conversation and Gail's part in it had reminded him of the not-so-little matter he had to discuss now, before he called Cas and Gail in to join them.

"There's something I need to tell all of you," Bobby said. "Gail has suffered from PTSD, and she doesn't remember anything that happened after we all got back from the cabin."

Chuck's mouth dropped open. "What?" he exclaimed.

Bobby glared at him. "You heard me, Chuck. She doesn't remember ANYTHING," he emphasized. "She knows about the new laws now, and that she's the chairperson of the board, but that was because we told her about it. So I don't want anybody mentioning anything that might possibly upset her. Are we clear?"

Ethan knew Bobby was talking to Chuck, Kevin and him specifically now. They'd known that something had happened to Cas, and Chuck had seen it for himself when he had gone down to the bunker with Bobby. He had told his two friends about it in very vague terms, but not in any detail. Chuck had kept his private conversation with Gail private. He appreciated that she had trusted him enough to have been so honest with him about the subject. But now she wouldn't remember that conversation, either. In a way, it was too bad. Chuck felt that he and Gail had really bonded as friends that night, very good friends. But mainly, he thought it was a blessing that she couldn't remember. He hadn't personally seen anything violent happen between her and Cas, but what he had seen in his visions at the time had been bad enough. And, speaking of which...

"I brought my journal, like you asked," he told Bobby. Then Chuck frowned. "For all the good it'll do us. I can't open it now, and my visions are gone. I have no idea what Lucifer, Metatron, or Aurielle are doing. And we can't even interpret what I wrote before, because I can't even open the damn book now."

"That's all right, Chuck," Bobby told him. "If what we read is right, we might have a solution for that." He had told the Angels about what they had read in Revelation, and about their interpretations of the passages. He wanted them to go into this with both eyes wide open.

"So, if no one has anything they would like to say, I'll bring Cas and Gail in now," Bobby continued. He fixed the men with another stern look. "Remember what I said about Gail." Bobby still didn't know exactly how much or how little Chuck had told the two other Musketeers, but Bobby was no fool. He had been tempted to open up the channels and search their minds to find out, but he supposed that was a moot point now.

He buzzed Laurel, and a moment later, Castiel and Gail entered the office.

"These two will take all of you down to the bunker for your training," Bobby told them. "I think we can probably only give you a couple of days, at the most. We'd better not wait too long."

"Is that your journal, Chuck?" Gail asked.

"Yeah," he replied, holding it up for her to see. "But I can't open it now, and the visions have all stopped."

"Mine, too," Kevin said. "It's like we're being blocked, or something."

"That wouldn't surprise me," Gail told them. "Apparently, they've shielded themselves." She gestured for the journal. "Can I see that for a minute, Chuck?"

He stood, handing it to her. "Are you going to try opening it?" he asked her. "Good luck with that; I've tried everything."

"No, I'm not going to try to open it," she replied. Then she turned to Cas, extending the book to him. "You are."

He looked at her for a moment, then looked at the book. He knew what she was talking about, of course. They had all discussed this when they'd been going over Revelation together. Suddenly, he was afraid to try. Did he want to be the Lamb, or not? Did he deserve to be?

"Come on, Cas, we haven't got all day here," Bobby said impatiently.

Castiel looked into Gail's eyes. She gave him an encouraging smile. She looked like she believed he could do anything, and when she looked at him that way, he felt like he could. Cas wanted to be the Lamb, for her. He'd certainly been lion enough in the past year.

He took the book from her and opened it with ease. Gail's smile widened. "There you go," she said softly.

Cas looked at her with wonder. He couldn't believe it. He was the Lamb, and he was worthy? Was this a sign from his Father that he was finally the Angel he'd been striving to be all these centuries?

Then he looked down at the book, and his heart sank. The pages were blank!

"There's nothing written in here," Cas said disbelievingly.

Chuck had sat back down, but now he bounced out of his chair. "What? What do you mean? Let me see that!" he exclaimed. He walked over to Cas, snatching the journal from his hands. Chuck riffled through the pages. Cas was right. They were all blank.

Chuck looked up at everyone. "But this book was filled with stuff," he said, astonished. "I was going to go over it again once we could open it. I'm sure there was something in there we could use, but I can't remember what it was now."

Gail put her hand on his arm. "That's OK, Chuck. I'm sure it'll come back to you. As someone who's experienced memory loss myself recently, I know what I'm talking about. I've been getting some flashes of things coming back lately. They don't make much sense to me yet, but at least I'm seeing them." And she had seen some things, but they were puzzling to her. Cas down on his knees in front of her, head bowed. What had he been doing, tying her shoes, or something? Cas giving her flowers. While that was a nice thought, she couldn't recall him ever having done that before. And, Cas down on his knees in front of her again, but for an entirely different and wonderful reason. Though that one might have just been wishful thinking, she had thought with amusement.

Castiel was looking at her. Now he was alarmed again. What was she seeing? And how could she be seeing it?

"OK, we'd better get this show on the road," Bobby said briskly. "Cas, Gail, you go ahead with Chuck, Becky, and Kevin. I'll bring Ethan and Linda." As the Angels had not yet been officially assigned to Earth, they still required escorts to go there. That was a safeguard that had been put in place ever since the original God had been in charge, and Bobby had held on to that one. He thought that made a lot of sense. You couldn't have renegade Angels just popping down to Earth whenever they felt like it. It suddenly occurred to him that Felicia was an Angel, and she lived on Earth. How had that happened? Maybe the original God had sent her down there for some reason. And then she had met Mark, the human she had married and adopted a son with. Maybe Bobby should give her a call and let her know about the current crisis. Lucifer could potentially zero in on her, too. If he was looking to target Angels, Lucifer could very well track her down.

Felicia and Mark were watching TV. Or at least, she was trying to. Mark was flipping from channel to channel, and it was driving her nuts. Why was it that when men had the remote, which was pretty much all of the time, they couldn't ever seem to be able to settle on one program? Her father had been like that too, once he had discovered the wonders of television. Of course, she guessed her dad could receive a pass on that one. Ignatius had been an Angel since very early on in the game, and TV had been a whole new world for him. Felicia had been an Angel for quite a while herself now; her mother had been pregnant with Felicia when her father had originally died of a heart attack all those centuries ago, for the first time. But when Felicia had accidentally drowned years later, father and daughter had been reunited in Heaven, and they had been very close, up until the day that Felicia had decided to slip through Heaven's portal in order to explore Earth. The portal no longer existed now, but it had been there back then. Perhaps because Felicia had been taken relatively young, she had really missed Earth. And even then, she had been in love with Mark, though only from afar when she had been alive. She started slipping out of Heaven regularly just to watch him go about his daily routine, but one day, she had been careless and he had caught her. They'd started talking, then flirting, then kissing, and before she'd known it, Felicia found herself telling him who and what she really was. But he'd seemed to understand, and he'd told her it didn't matter to him. He loved her, and he'd take her however he could get her, he'd said with a smile. They had gone to bed together for the first time that night, and Felicia had been astonished at what he'd done to her there, and at the things it seemed that she was willing to do to him. If it had been anyone but Mark, she would have felt decidedly impure about the whole thing. But Mark had a silver tongue, and did he ever know how to use it, Felicia had thought with amusement. So she had gone back up to Heaven for the final time and told her father that she loved Mark, and she was staying on Earth to be with him.

Ignatius had been livid. A human! He wouldn't allow it. But he didn't control his daughter. That fact became evident when she'd turned her back on him and fled to Earth. Then Ignatius had had to explain to the other board members what had happened. They had all agreed that it was disgusting, and he was well rid of her. All except for Castiel, of course. He had smiled, and he'd had a faraway look on his face. Almost as if he'd been wondering what it would be like to be Felicia. To just take off to Earth and stay there. And to be that much in love.

Felicia sighed now. Her father had told her his side of the story before he'd died, and he had apologized over and over again for all those lost years. But at least they had had the time together since he'd come to Earth to find her and had moved in with her and Mark and Robbie. Even though Ignatius had become mortal and died when he'd given up his Grace for Castiel, they had reconnected as a family before his death. Humans had parents who died all the time, and she'd just had to come to terms with that.

She snuggled into Mark's arms as he continued to channel-surf. Mark had been so supportive and so understanding during her time of grief. She was so lucky to have him. They still made love as often as possible, and she couldn't believe that he was still so good to her, after all these years.

Mark kissed Felicia softly on the forehead. He really did have feelings for her, and she had been a welcome distraction all of the years that he'd been stuck here, waiting. But the time had finally come. His Master was finally here. Mark could feel Lucifer's presence here on Earth, and he was merely waiting for the call.

In the meantime, there was Felicia, soft and warm in his arms, and there was the TV. He would watch a bit longer, and then he would take Felicia to bed and enjoy her there, for as long as he could. Robbie was at one of the neighbour's houses, and they wouldn't be bringing him back till late. Maybe Mark would arrange for a bit more babysitting over the next few days. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to stay here with her in this house. When Lucifer called for him, he would be required to go.

Mark found one of those televangelist shows, and he put the remote down for a moment, watching in fascination. He'd read about this guy in the paper. His "Ministry" was worth millions, and so was he. Mark smirked. So much for the so-called vow of poverty. Or did that only apply to priests? Who the hell could keep those things straight, anyway? So many religions in the world. Way too many, really. After coming into contact with a religious man, Mark always felt like washing his hands. They were all such hypocrites. Sinning beyond belief on Saturday night, but dressing in white robes and telling everybody they were supposed to deny themselves when Sunday morning came. The only honest and true religion was Lucifer's: say what you want and do what you feel. Mark had always believed that. When he had written Revelation, the blueprint for the second coming of the one true God, Lucifer, Mark had couched all of the verses in vague, almost existential language. And of course, he'd had to write it so the "good guys" won in the end. That was what had been expected of an Apostle, and a Gospel writer. But he'd used John's name. Mark was no Judas; he wasn't about to deny his true Father in public. And his loyalty had paid off. Lucifer had finally risen again, and Mark had received the glorious news in his head. Wait there for Me, and I'll be in touch.

Mark looked at the man on TV with interest. There could be something to this. The guy had millions of dollars, and probably had almost that many followers, and he wasn't nearly as eloquent or as charming as Lucifer. And Lucifer had real powers. If Mark's Lord and Master were to gain a public platform such as this, and use his considerable powers of persuasion and illusion on the gullible masses, their army could increase exponentially, and much more quickly than in the olden days. Maybe he would mention this to Lucifer when they had their face-to-face meeting, see what he thought.

Mark shut off the TV and looked down at his wife. She was smiling at him, as usual. He would really miss her when he had to leave to go into Lucifer's service. If he thought she would come with him, he might have asked her, but Felicia was far too Angelic for that. Look at the group that had come to her father's funeral. Mark had nearly choked when God himself had shaken his hand in the church. And who would have ever thought that the famous, or should he say notorious, Castiel would have attended? Castiel was a renegade among Angels, and as far as Mark knew, he'd had nothing but disdain for his fellow board members, and they for him. Yet he had made a brief eulogy at the church on Ignatius's behalf, and Mark had seen Felicia hugging him. Mark had stayed well away from that group. He'd been a little afraid to receive Bobby's close scrutiny. Even though Mark could sense that Bobby was more man than God, he also knew that Bobby had been imbued with many Godlike powers, and Mark hadn't wanted to take the chance that the faux God would be able to sniff him out. And Mark knew how much his Master hated Castiel, so he'd stayed well away from him, too. Though if Mark had been able to get Castiel alone, he might have attempted to kill him, as an offering to Lucifer. But the group of Angels had arrived together, and after the service was over, they had left together. Or at least, they had been standing together when Mark had had to accompany Felicia to the limousine for the funeral cortege, so Mark assumed that the group had ascended together from there. Perhaps it was just as well, in retrospect. Mark knew that Lucifer liked to play with his food before he ate it.

Funny, though; there had been a female Angel with the men, and Mark had had no idea who she was. She must be a fairly recent addition to Heaven. Mark had been stationed on Earth for a number of years, and even though he was quite familiar with the board members and Castiel, and had been provided with intel on Bobby from their inside source in Heaven, Mark knew next to nothing about the female Angel. She had stood comfortably enough with Bobby, though, and at one point Mark was sure that he had seen her holding Castiel's hand, which for Angels usually signified an affectionate relationship of some sort. So once the service was over and the opportunity had presented itself, Mark had asked Felicia about the female. Felicia had told him that she was the Angel Gail, who had stood the tribunal with Castiel, and her father had told Felicia as part of his deathbed confession that the two Angels were romantically involved. Mark had been astonished. Castiel had a girlfriend? Wonders never ceased.

"Let's go upstairs," Mark said to Felicia.

Metatron was also holed up, but he was staying in considerably less expensive digs than Lucifer. He had never really been able to get the hang of the "two-finger system", so he hadn't even bothered to try it. He had retained his same vessel for the time being, and Metatron knew he wasn't handsome enough, nor glib enough, to talk anyone into anything. So he had walked the streets of Seattle until he had found a more affordable-looking part of the city, and then he had used his powers to knock a well-dressed man out, stealing his wallet. Metatron had taken the man's cash, but not his credit cards, or his vessel, and he had used the cash to pay for a couple of nights at a motel.

He was there now, trying to figure out what he wanted to do with himself. Metatron had tried different variations on the theme, but nothing had ever worked out for him. What could he do that he hadn't done before? What did he even want to do?

Metatron knew what he DIDN'T want, however, and that was to have anything further to do with Lucifer. He'd had enough of that guy. Let him take over the world, or whatever he was going to do. Metatron didn't care. He was an Original, and he had his own powers. He would be just fine. Let Lucifer run roughshod all over the Earth. In fact, slaying one-third of the human race was probably a fine idea; that would certainly winnow out the worthy from the unworthy. And by the unworthy, Metatron meant the stupid people, of course. Though one-third wouldn't even come close to taking care of that little problem, it would be a damn good start.

He looked around the room. Not much to look at in these economy places. There was the inevitable TV on the dresser, and Metatron considered putting it on, just for a moment. He had a lot of time to kill right now, until he decided what to do with himself. But he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He supposed he'd succumb to the idiot box eventually out of sheer loneliness or boredom, but he wanted to leave it alone for as long as he could. Although Metatron did love to make witty pop culture references, he'd always thought that people who watched a lot of TV were lazy. Instead of using the minds that God had given them, these people just sat there, feeding off of others' creativity. It was the writers who were the unsung heroes; they were the ones who had all the ideas, and they poured their hearts and souls into the product, while the actors were the ones who got all the credit.

Maybe that was it. Metatron had been a Scribe for untold centuries, and he'd always wondered what it would be like to actually create something for himself, something that he could call his own. Transcribing others' words was one thing; writing an actual story himself, maybe even a book, would be quite another.

His gaze fell upon the Bible on the nightstand. Whoever had written that had been on their game, that was for sure. Best-selling book of all time. People read and re-read it many times over, and millions followed people who used quotes from the book to bolster their own opinions. People might have thought it would have been Metatron who'd written the Bible, or at least had transcribed it, using God's own Word. But they would be wrong. God was too busy playing games to write His autobiography. None of the Originals knew who had written the Bible, and if their Father knew, He wasn't telling.

Suddenly, Metatron wanted to write, to compose, more than anything. Why had he not thought of that before? It was an ideal activity for him. He could stay here for a while, keeping a low profile until he figured out what to do with himself, and in the meantime, he would write his magnum opus. Maybe it was time for the world to know the real story.

He let himself out of the room and went in search of a stationery store. Metatron couldn't wait to get started.

Gail sat in the training room, watching the action. Sam and Dean and Cas were training with the designates, and this had made for some very entertaining viewing.

Chuck was sitting on one side of her, Ethan on the other. They had progressed well and were being given the opportunity to rest while the other, less skilled Angels got in some more practice.

Chuck was toweling off the sweat, and he looked exhausted. But he had worked very hard, and he thought he'd improved quite a bit in the short time they'd been training. Contrary to his joke in Bobby's office, he had requested that Cas work with him. All due respect to Sam and Dean, but Chuck knew that Cas would give him the biggest challenge. And now that Cas was back to full-on Angel, he was relentless, and a stern taskmaster. Gail had had to admonish him a couple of times over it. She had taken over the role of the timekeeper, making sure the Angels were able to take breaks once in a while, and that Sam and Dean got breaks, too. She used a rotation system, and when one of their human friends needed a bit longer, she had stepped in to replace them.

"Are you going to be all right, Chuck?" Gail teased. "Your face is awfully red."

"That's because Kevin is embarrassing us," Chuck said loudly, teasing his friend.

Kevin and Sam were facing off, and Kevin looked at Chuck, making a face. "Oh, ha ha, very funny, Chuck," Kevin said sarcastically.

"You're Asian, Kevin," Ethan joined in. "Shouldn't you know at least a few martial arts, or something?"

"That's a racist stereotype," Kevin shot back. But he knew their ribbing was all in good fun. People called them The Three Musketeers for a reason; the three male Angels had grown very close to each other, and their friendship was such that they could say just about anything to each other now.

"Oh, yeah? How come your mother is kicking the crap out of Dean, then?" Ethan said, grinning.

Dean looked at him. "She is not," he said huffily.

"I'm not?" Linda retorted. "Then why has Gail had to heal you three times already?"

As Dean opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to think of a suitable retort, Cas said, "All right, everyone. Let's get back to work."

Dean sighed. Captain Buzzkill strikes again. He understood the importance of what they were doing here, though. None of these Angels really knew how to fight. They were as green as Gail had been when they'd first started training her. And as hard as they had all been working, more work was obviously needed. Only Ethan was more or less a natural, but then, he'd been to the police academy when he was alive. The one thing he'd needed to learn was how to use knives and holy water as weapons. Chuck had started out a little slow, but he had actually improved so much that Dean thought he'd be fine. And Linda was fierce. Dean had known her to be the same way in life, especially when she'd been trying to protect her son, and she was no different now. She had actually hurt Dean pretty badly in practice, and he had shrugged it off to the others, but he'd considered asking Cas to switch partners. He didn't dare, though, unless he wanted to be razzed for days.

Castiel had paired everyone up initially, but that had been before Gail had instituted the rotation system. He could see the logic in what she was doing, though. He knew that he was working them all hard, and he knew that they did need breaks every now and then. But there were not enough trainers to go around. The rotation system ensured that all the Angels got a turn.

This particular rotation had been difficult for all the parties involved, though. Linda had indeed proved to be a worthy opponent, and Cas thought she was just about up to Ethan and Chuck's level now. She had gotten to Dean a couple of times, and Castiel would have been amused by that fact if he had not been so focused on getting them all ready for what they might have to face. If anything were to happen to any one of them, Castiel would feel responsible. Bobby had left him in charge of the training program, and Cas wanted to do a good job. After all of the terrible things he had done, Cas needed to balance the scales as much as he could.

Cas looked at Gail, as he always did when he thought about the terrible things he'd done when he had been a Demon. She was joking with Chuck and Ethan, but she must have sensed him looking at her, because their eyes met and she smiled at him.

Gail was very proud of Cas. Even though she'd had to rein him in a bit sometimes, he was proving to be an extremely good teacher. She had also seen the level of progress that Chuck and Linda had made under Cas's tutelage, and Gail had high hopes for Kevin too, once he became a little less tentative.

But Becky? There was no way. Her efforts were half-hearted, at best. Gail didn't think that Becky was unmotivated, or lazy; she just didn't have the aptitude. Gail could understand that. Not everyone did. And when Sam had been paired with Becky originally, Becky had been particularly bad. So Gail had switched up the partners, putting Becky with Cas. Clearly, poor Becky needed all the expert training she could get. And Gail had known that Cas would be patient and compassionate towards Becky. But something curious had happened when Cas and Becky had faced off. Cas seemed suddenly reluctant to even simulate an attack on Becky. Any moves he'd made had become tentative and half-hearted.

"Hey, quit slacking off, Cas," Chuck had called out to him. "If you need a rest, just say so."

"I don't need a rest," Cas said.

"Well then, what's the matter? You worked us hard enough," Ethan chimed in.

Becky thought of something. "Is it because I'm a girl?" she asked Cas.

"No, it can't be," Gail said, shaking her head. "He's fought females many times before. In fact, he stabbed me right here in this room early in my own training days."

"I remember that," Sam said, smiling. Gail had been fine, and it was so long ago that they could laugh about it now. "I thought Cas was going to commit hara-kari after he did that. He was upset for at least a week afterwards."

"Yeah, Becky, don't worry," Dean teased. "If he'll stab her, he'll stab anybody."

Everyone laughed at that, including Gail. But Cas did not smile, and as he frowned at Dean, his friend realized that his comment had been very insensitive, considering what had happened when Cas had been a Demon. He raised his eyebrows to Cas in apology.

Chuck had laughed, but then he too realized that maybe it wasn't so funny, after all. He hadn't told Kevin and Ethan about that particular proclivity of Cas's, and he had minimized the extent of Cas's violent behaviour at the time. And now, he was glad he had. Cas was back to normal now, and there was no point in sharing that knowledge with anyone else any more. They all needed to be able to trust Cas, both as their instructor and as their friend. Still, Chuck was grateful that God had wiped Gail's memory clean of that whole ugly time. Heaven needed her and Castiel to lead by example now, especially now that the new laws were in place. Many Angels had been wondering what sort of behaviour was allowed, or even appropriate, with each other now. And Heaven's Golden Couple could lead the way in that regard. Though it wasn't too long ago that they were doing things that, while not specifically excluded in the laws, would certainly not be fit for public knowledge. But they seemed perfectly Angelic now, and very happy too, and Chuck was glad. They needed all the unity they could get if they were to defeat Lucifer.

Cas hadn't thought that what Dean had said was one bit funny, but he realized he was extremely sensitive about the subject, especially these days. That was why he had been having such a hard time training Becky. Ever since the cure, and his visit to the womens' shelter, Cas had been reluctant to be the slightest bit confrontational with a female. He had even allowed Brenda to touch him a bit more often than he generally would have, due to that fact. Granted, Brenda had to touch him sometimes when she was helping him with his wardrobe. It was her job, after all. But she had taken advantage of that fact, too, and he had let it slide because he'd been averse to being even a little overbearing with a woman. But he could see that Becky wasn't going to get it, no matter how long he trained with her. Even if Cas were currently capable of sparring with her as he would with a man, Becky just didn't strike him as someone who would ever be comfortable in any form of combat. So he had switched to self-defense tactics only when it came to Becky. Maybe he would talk to Bobby about holding her back, keeping her at the bunker; perhaps Sam or Gail could give Becky something to do to assist the team from here.

Kevin had joined in on the repartee with Chuck and Ethan, but the fact was that he was not a very good fighter, and he knew it. Stereotype notwithstanding, Kevin had always pictured himself as a badass superhero ninja, or something. He had assumed that once he was trained up a bit, he would be as good as the others, if not better. He was young, after all, even younger than Ethan. What he'd lacked in skills he should have been able to make up for in energy and enthusiasm, and the benefit of seeing lots and lots of action movies should have counted for something, as well. But Kevin had been embarrassed to find out that he didn't quite have the aptitude for fighting that he'd thought he would have. Even his mother had fought way better than him. But maybe it wasn't all Kevin's fault. When they had first gotten here, Cas had assigned Sam to be Kevin's trainer, and Kevin had been OK with it. Or, so he had thought. But when Sam had come at him, even though the weapon was fake and the attack only simulated, Kevin had freaked out a little. He guessed that Cas had forgotten that Gadreel had been in possession of Sam's body when he had killed Kevin. So when Kevin faced Sam, the young Prophet was actually looking into the face of his own murderer. He knew this was Sam now, and that Gadreel was long gone, but Kevin couldn't help how he felt. He didn't want to admit this to anyone, though. At his age, it was hard enough to be taken seriously without whining like a baby about your feelings. Castiel had advised at the onset of training that they were here to prepare the Angels for combat. Once they were sent out there, they had to be ready for anything. They could well find themselves in a fight to the death, and Cas, Sam, Dean and Gail were there to help prepare God's designates for that possibility. So Kevin tried his best, but he'd kept looking at Sam's face and remembering how terrifying it had been to have been killed by the Angel who had been wearing it at the time.

Sam was a smart guy, but he was oblivious to Kevin's discomfort at the moment. He had been too busy watching Becky watching him out of the corner of her eye. Like Gail, Sam now had a huge chunk of memories missing, but he did remember the time Becky had accompanied Kevin here to the bunker, when Kevin had been recruited to translate the Demon Tablet to prevent Metatron from closing the Gates of Hell. Becky's eyes had followed Sam around the room then, and they were still doing it now. It was unnerving him a bit. Was she still hung up on him, even though years had passed, she was an Angel, and she was with Kevin now? Should he be worried about this?

Linda had also noticed Becky looking at Sam, and now Kevin's mother thought she might be starting to get it. So THAT was why Becky's relationship with Kevin seemed a little off. Becky may be with Linda's son right now, but it appeared to Linda as though Becky might have a thing for Sam. Linda had also seen her son looking at Sam with a strange expression on his face. Did Kevin know? And to further complicate matters, Linda could swear she had seen Sam look at Gail a couple of times, with a similar expression on his face as the one that Becky had had when she'd looked at Sam! What was going on here? Linda was a perceptive individual, or at least, she had been one in life. Was her imagination just working overtime, or were there some complicated emotional issues in play here?

Gail was scanning all of their faces now, and she saw a number of different expressions there. Some, she could read, and some, she couldn't. But there was only one thing she had to say about what she was seeing, and she said it now: "Break time!"

Dean looked at her gratefully. "I could kiss you right now," he quipped. Then he smirked at Cas. "If you'll put your weapon down first, that is."

Everyone laughed again. Cas laughed, too. He only had a rubber knife, of course; the same kind they used on the TV show. The two men continued to look at each other as Dean realized that was another remark which could possibly be in poor taste, considering what had transpired between Cas and Gail when Cas had been a Demon. His friend had exhibited signs of extreme anger and jealousy any time that any guy had even looked at Gail. But Dean couldn't censor everything he ever said, or he would explode. Besides, things were OK now. Well, except for the fact that Satan was loose on the Earth and Armageddon was at hand, of course.

The Angels returned their faux weapons to the table, and Chuck passed towels out to the ones who had been sparring. They all started chatting about the training they were receiving and comparing notes.

Gail walked up to Cas and the Winchesters. "How do you think they're doing, you guys?" she asked.

The men exchanged glances. "They're coming along," Sam said.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "Some of them are pretty much there."

But Cas frowned. "They're being kind," he told her. "Ethan is competent, and Chuck can probably hold his own now, but the rest of them need much more training."

"We've only got one more day, Cas, and then Bobby wants them out there," Sam pointed out.

"Then we'll just have to work harder," Cas said fretfully.

Dean groaned. "Come on, Cas. Maybe you guys can do this 24/7, but Sam and I need to eat, and sleep. And I've had to go to the bathroom for the last half hour."

"I thought that need might have gone away when Linda cut you that last time," Sam said, grinning.

Gail smiled as Dean said, "Shut up, Sam." Then Dean looked at her and asked, "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing," she replied. "It's just good to see that I'm not the only female who can kick your ass."

Dean glared at her, then at his brother, and muttered something under his breath about what the two of them could do to themselves, which Gail was pretty sure was anatomically impossible. Then he stalked out of the room, with Sam hot on his heels.

Cas looked at Gail. Her lips were twitching furiously. "How would that even work?" she quipped.

"I wondered the same thing when he told me to do it to myself an hour ago," Cas responded, trying to keep a straight face.

Gail laughed, and he put his arms around her and kissed her softly on the mouth. "Careful, your students are watching," she teased. "You don't want to set a bad example."

"I thought I was setting a good one," Cas said lightly, smiling down at her. He kissed her again, and this time the kiss lingered a moment. "You could teach a class on how to do that," Gail breathed.

"I'd be willing, as long as you were the only student," Cas said, raising an eyebrow to her.

"You're either going to have to stop being so sexy, or I'm going to have to call for a longer break," she teased in a soft voice.

"How I wish you could," Cas said with a faint smile. "But we need to get back to work. We're running out of time."

"I know," Gail acknowledged. "But I also know that Sam and Dean are getting tired. That's why I think we need to call in reinforcements."

"Who did you have in mind?" he asked her.

"I think we should call in Frank and Jody," Gail told him. "They can help train everyone, and I can help them help you, in case you ever need a break." She raised an eyebrow to him now. "Don't you ever get tired?"

Cas frowned. "I can't allow myself to get tired," he responded. "This is way too important."

Gail nodded. She knew. "OK, I'll pop out and get them, then," she told him.

"I'll go with you," Cas said quickly.

"Why?" she asked him.

He gave her a look, and she shrugged. "Come on, Cas." Gail looked at the Angel trainees. "We're sending THEM out there, aren't we?"

"Yes, but - " he started to say, but Gail interrupted him, shaking her head. "But, nothing," she said firmly. "I'm no more important than anyone else here."

"You are to me," Cas said earnestly.

Gail smiled. "And that, right there, is one of the million reasons that I love you," she said softly, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll be right back."

She popped out of the room as Cas frowned. He really didn't want her going anywhere by herself. Lucifer, Metatron and Aurielle were all out there somewhere. Any one of them could be standing outside the bunker right now, waiting to take whoever happened to come out.

Chuck tapped Cas on the shoulder, startling him.

"Sorry, Cas," Chuck said. "I was just wondering where Gail went. I saw her pop out."

"She went to get some more trainers," Castiel replied absently. He should not have let her go out by herself. But, when had he ever been able to stop her from doing anything that she wanted to do? She was stubbornly independent, and it was that fact that was going to be the death of him one day.

"Good," Chuck said, smiling. "Those guys need all the help they can get."

Despite his concern over Gail, Cas smiled. "'Those guys'?" he said to Chuck. "What about you?"

"I'm good to go," Chuck replied, puffing out his chest a little.

"Don't you know that Pride is one of the Sins?" Linda said, elbowing Chuck in the ribs. She had walked over to where the two men stood, and now the other Angels were following suit. They were all grouped around Cas now, waiting for instructions, it seemed. Cas felt strange. Since when had he been a leader, of anyone? But Bobby had entrusted him to prepare their Angel friends, and they were putting their trust in him, too. It felt weird, but good.

"We're just waiting for Gail to get back with Jody and her brother Frank," Castiel told them. "Jody's a Sheriff, and she and Frank are both experienced Hunters. They're going to help train you."

"Oh good, another woman," Linda said. "Maybe she can help Becky. You don't seem to be doing her much good," she told Cas.

Castiel frowned at her, but he said nothing, because Linda was right. He knew he hadn't done a good job with Becky. But he just couldn't bring himself to attack her.

"Mom!" Kevin protested.

But Becky looked at Linda, nodding. "I know, I'm not very good, am I?" Becky said.

"Don't get discouraged, Becky," Kevin said, taking her hand. "I'm not very good, either." He looked at Cas. "But I'm not giving up. I'll just work harder, that's all."

Cas gave Kevin a tight smile. "That's the attitude, Kevin. I'll tell you what. When Jody gets here, we'll put Becky with her, and I'll train you myself."

Kevin groaned. "Oh, God, what did I have to go and say that for?" he said, and all the Angels laughed. They'd all had their turn with Cas, and he was a good teacher, but he was relentless.

Gail popped into the room with Jody and Frank just as Sam and Dean were coming back in. The brothers' faces lit up when they saw their friends.

Sam shook Frank's hand, clapping him on the shoulder. "How's it going, Frank?" he asked Gail's brother.

"Same old, same old," Frank replied. He looked at Castiel. "So, we've got the Devil to worry about now, and Metatron and Aurielle are back again?" he asked Cas.

"Bet you wish you'd stayed in Hell," Sam quipped to Frank, who smirked.

But Jody was puzzled. The last thing she remembered was Cas and Gail, coming back from the cabin, then she and Frank had stayed here in the bunker that night, and that was it. Then, suddenly, Gail had just shown up, out of the blue. She'd told Jody what was going on, and that Heaven needed Jody's help. Jody was fine with that, but she wasn't sure she could just take off again, especially since she'd just gotten back. But when she'd asked her deputies if they would be OK without her again so soon, they had laughed. "'So soon'?" they had said. "You haven't had a day off for nearly a year." And everything else at the office had been weird, too. Files were closed that had been open when she'd gone to the Sheriff's conference, the weekend that Jody had helped defeat the Demons which had amassed behind the bunker. Which was OK, she supposed; the guys must have been trying to impress her in her absence. But the dates had been all wrong. When she had pointed this out to the men, they had laughed. The Sheriff must have been smoking some of that stuff they were holding as evidence in the latest drug bust. She kept insisting that they should be using dates from last year. She probably COULD use a few days off.

When Gail had shown up, Jody had started to think that her deputies might be right. Apparently, Cas and Gail now lived in Vancouver. When had that happened? Hadn't they just gotten back from the cabin? Jody had said this to Gail, and Gail had shrugged. "I know, it's weird, right?" she had said. And that had been it. Then, when Gail had brought Jody to the motel where Frank had been staying, Jody's puzzlement had grown. Frank had been staying at the bunker, last she'd seen. How had he gotten all the way to Maine, then? Frank had joked that he drove like a maniac, but still...

Frank had been just as puzzled. As far as he knew, he had just been with everyone at the bunker. He had obviously gone back out on the road after Cas and Gail had been saved, but here his sister was again, telling him that Lucifer was running around loose on Earth, and that Metatron and Aurielle were "back". Hadn't Cas just killed them both in the cabin? What a crazy world they lived in now. People kept getting killed, but nobody ever seemed to die.

Lucifer being free had gotten Frank's attention, though. That was some pretty serious crap. When Gail had told him that Bobby had handpicked some Angels to come to Earth to search for the Devil, Frank had envisioned a bunch of big, burly guys. But this ragtag group surprised him. Frank knew that Sam and Dean could fight, and Cas had kicked ass both in the Demon dustup and at the cabin, apparently. And Gail and Jody would be just fine. But these Angels looked like they had never even picked up a weapon, let alone ever used one. He was glad Gail had drafted him and Jody; this bunch needed all the help they could get.

It was a peculiar group that was assembled in the training room now. Castiel and Dean were the only ones who retained full knowledge of all of the events that had transpired since the cabin.

Chuck knew more than any other Angel did about Cas's Demon phase, but even he didn't know every detail. But in a way, he had actually been relieved that his journal pages had been blank. Chuck had handed the book to Gail in Bobby's office without thinking. He had written down every word of his prophecies in there, and while a lot of them had had to do with Lucifer's rising and the potential End of Days, there had also been a comparatively large section on Cas and Gail in there. How Cas had gone from Angel to God to Demon to monster and back to exalted Angel in the blink of an eye. Chuck had written about their sex life too, and he had spent a little longer than might be decent in doing so. He had been honest with Gail during their heart-to-heart, the one she wouldn't remember now. It had gotten Chuck a little excited when he had watched Cas kissing Gail with his tongue. Chuck had never seen Angels do that before, although he supposed that they had the green light to do it now, thanks to the new laws. And maybe some of them were doing that, behind closed doors. But Cas and Gail had been doing a lot more than that, and the last vision that Chuck had written down before the journal had sealed itself had been about them. They were both full Angels again, but Chuck had seen them last night, and he had been amazed. Cas had been undressing Gail slowly, kissing and licking every inch of her skin as he had uncovered it. Then, when she was completely naked, Cas had taken his own clothes off, and he had buried his head in-between her legs. Gail had held his head as she cried out, and then Cas had climbed on top of her and moved slowly in and out of her as they'd looked at each other, smiling. Then she had reached up and pulled him down to kiss her. She had wrapped her legs around him, urging him to go faster, and Cas had. Then he had moaned through their kiss, and then he was still. And then the couple were kissing and cuddling, and Chuck had been about to put down his pen when incredibly, they had started up again. Gail had been caressing Cas's chest and stomach, moving her hand down his body as they talked, and suddenly, Cas's voice caught and Chuck knew where her hand had gone under that sheet. Chuck had felt jealous; no girl had touched him there in years. Chuck admonished himself for continuing to watch this, but he just couldn't seem to stop. Then Gail had moved down Cas's body and taken him in her mouth, and Cas had closed his eyes, smiling. Boy, Chuck would have been smiling, too. And why was he still watching them, anyway? Chuck was an Angel, and a good guy. Was he depraved, or just deprived? Gail's head was bobbing up and down now, and Cas was reaching for her. His hand found her, and his fingers started to move in and out of her. Gail made a noise that Chuck had never heard come out of a woman before, a kind of half-gasp and half-whimper. Then she stopped what she was doing, and Cas stopped, too. Why? Chuck wondered. But then Cas was pulling Gail up to kiss him, and then she lowered herself onto Cas as he grabbed her by the hips, moving her up and down. Then Cas cried out, and then he motioned to Gail to bring herself up to his mouth. Cas extended his tongue and licked her a couple of times. Gail's body jumped, and Cas held her away from him for a moment. Then he brought her close to his mouth and his tongue, and Gail was moving with him. Cas's hands were caressing her body lightly, teasing her in other places, and when Gail began to cry out, Cas pulled her body closer to him. Gail was saying his name, telling him how good it was, how good he was. Then she laid her body on top of Cas's, and he wrapped his arms around her, covering them both with the sheet as he did so. Cas stroked her hair, talking softly to her. He was telling Gail how much he loved her, and then he kissed her face, starting at her forehead. When he reached her lips, Gail opened her mouth and licked Cas's lips, and then Cas licked hers. Chuck could see that Cas was caressing Gail's body under the sheet as they kissed, and he had shaken his head in disbelief. Surely they weren't about to go again? Was Cas Superman? Could all Angels do this, or was it only these two? And, when could Chuck try it?

He continued to watch in astonishment as his Angel friends kissed. Then Cas rolled Gail off of him and gently laid her on her side, with her back to him. Cas was still caressing her body, and he started moving against her as she smiled. Then Cas threw the sheet off and Chuck watched, open-mouthed, as Cas pushed into her from behind, reaching around to stroke her, whispering into her ear. Then Cas licked her ear delicately and Gail sighed in contentment, closing her eyes. She moved her body against Cas's, and when he told her that he had to go faster, she opened her legs wider to give him better access. Cas's fingers sped up too, and he licked her neck as she moaned. Then Cas pushed forward, closing his eyes, and then he gasped. Gail was smiling. She had obviously done something that Chuck hadn't been able to see that had made Cas react like that. Being a man, Chuck wouldn't have thought of it; but Gail had moved a part of herself in a certain way that she thought Cas might appreciate, and she had surprised Cas by doing that. He groaned loudly as he pushed into her one last time. Then he was still, but his fingers kept moving, and Gail was writhing against his hand as he smiled. Then, when she was done, Cas put the sheet back on them and he cuddled her, staying inside her. Gail made a remark about wishing that they could sleep, so that they could fall asleep in that position and then wake up in that same position and start all over again, and Cas had laughed.

Chuck had written all of this down, and then he had read what he just wrote. The library had suddenly become very warm, and Chuck needed a cold shower. Or a girlfriend. Preferably a girlfriend. Now that he had seen Cas and Gail like this, Chuck wanted very much to be doing the same thing himself, with a willing female. But he couldn't think of any other Angel that he could even approach, let alone embark on this type of relationship with. Of course, Heaven had millions of Angels; Chuck just hadn't met all of them yet. He would have to try to be patient. Maybe he could meet a nice girl before the world ended.

Frank clapped Cas on the shoulder. "So, what's the plan?"

Cas was a little surprised by Frank's affectionate gesture, but then he remembered that Frank would have no recollection of anything negative that might have happened between them. God had indeed been merciful; apparently, he had re-set Frank's and Jody's minds and memories to Cas and Gail's safe emergence from the cabin, but neither remembered ever having been in the cabin themselves. That meant that they had no recollection of Crowley having taken most of his essence out of Cas there. That would have raised too many questions, so apparently, God had modified it.

So Cas and Gail quickly briefed Frank and Jody on their discussion with Bobby and Crowley about Revelation, as Sam and Dean were talking with the Angels. Predictably enough, Frank was shocked and angry that Crowley had been included.

"Well then, you're really not going to like the fact that there are going to be a bunch of Demons running around on Earth shortly," Gail said to her brother.

Frank's mouth dropped open. "What? Why?" he exclaimed.

"Because we need all the troops we can get," Gail told him.

"Yeah, but...Demons?" Frank said, incredulous. "Won't they just sign up with Lucifer? Kill a bunch of people?"

"Crowley promised Bobby they'll behave themselves," Gail advised her brother.

"Oh, Crowley said," Frank retorted sarcastically. "Well, he's a trustworthy guy, right?" He turned to Cas. "Are you in favour of this?"

Castiel frowned. "Of course not," he said to Frank. "But, Bobby agreed to it. And he said we're to leave them alone."

Now it was Frank's turn to frown. Bobby may be God, but Frank thought this was a very bad idea. "Yeah?" he said, shaking his head. "And are THEY gonna leave US alone?"

"Crowley claimed he will instruct them as such, yes," Castiel said stiffly. He was on Frank's side on this one. "I remain unconvinced."

"He said we have a common enemy, and he's going to have them focus on finding Lucifer," Gail pointed out. She put her hand on her brother's arm. "Crowley's not so bad, Frank. He wants to help."

Frank laughed derisively. "He's not so bad? Will you listen to yourself?" He looked at Cas. "Talk to her, will you?"

Castiel sighed. While it was wonderful to be on the same side as Gail's brother for a change, he was reluctant to get in the middle of a dispute between Frank and Gail. Cas hadn't forgotten that he and his Demonic ways had been the cause of many a problem between brother and sister, and it had been Cas's fault that Frank had spent so much time away from Gail.

"He doesn't need to talk to me," Gail said sharply to Frank.

Sensing the potential for an argument, Dean grabbed Frank by the arm. "Come on, Frank. "Let's whip these Angels into shape."

Dean and Sam took Frank and Jody over to the weapons table as the Angels gathered around them.

Meanwhile, Cas was looking at Gail. "He's not wrong, you know," Castiel said, gesturing to Frank.

Gail shrugged. "I don't blame him for feeling like he does about Crowley," she said. "He just doesn't know him as well as I do."

Castiel's eyebrows shot up. "And how well DO you know him, Gail?" he asked her quietly. He hadn't forgotten that they had been separated for months up until just recently, even if she had. Was there something that he didn't know about, that he should?

Gail opened her mouth, then closed it again. Why had she said that? "I don't know," she said in a more subdued tone. "I've just been having flashes of memories here and there, and he's been in some of them."

And it was true. The more Gail had thought about it, the more bothered she had become that she had no idea how they could have gotten from Point A to Point M without her having any recollection of any of it. So she had been thinking furiously, trying to jog her memory. She'd had a couple of small breakthroughs, but Gail wanted more. That memory of sitting down in the diner with Crowley had been the first one that she'd recovered, so Gail thought that she would start there. She'd concentrated on Crowley's face, and the feeling she got when she looked at him these days. It was strange, really. In the past, all she had felt towards Crowley had been anger, fear, and mistrust. Angels weren't really supposed to hate, she guessed, though it seemed like a lot of them did, anyway. So, OK; she had hated Crowley. But then the King of Hell had gone and revived Cas after Cas's execution, and he had restored Bobby' sanity, even though there had been nothing in it for him to do those things. And then he had come to the cabin with their friends, and he had taken all of the Demon essence out of Cas that the King had put in him in order to give him the extra oomph Cas had needed to defeat their enemies. At least, that was how Gail looked at it, anyway. Not having any memories of the horrifying period afterwards, she tended to feel warmth towards the King of Hell. But there was something inherently ridiculous about that, and Gail knew it. Heaven and Hell, Angels and Demons. Natural adversaries. And look at how Cas and Crowley were with each other. There was no way that Gail should ever have any sort of cordial relationship with Crowley. But some of the disjointed memories that had been coming back seemed to suggest otherwise. She now remembered laughing with Crowley and talking about her favourite boy wizard books and movies. When would they ever have done that? And, in a surreal moment, Gail's mind's eye saw Crowley actually touching her naked body, healing painful injuries she had somehow incurred. Had that really happened? But, why on earth would it have? There was no way she would ever willingly disrobe for the King of Hell, and if she had, where would Cas have been at the time? If she'd had injuries, why couldn't Cas have just healed them?

Castiel was looking grim now. He didn't want her recovering any memories that had Crowley in them. Those would be far too dangerous. And again, he wondered how it was even possible that she seemed to be regaining any memories at all. God Himself had wiped her mind clean, from the time of the cabin on.

"What do you remember?" Cas asked her nervously.

"Nothing that seems to connect to anything else," Gail responded, furrowing her brow. "That's the trouble. And a lot of it doesn't even make any sense, cause it's so weird. Some of it has got to be false memories, because those things would never happen. Dean, punching you in the face? Sam, kissing me?" She laughed. "If I was a human, I'd put it down to eating something spicy before bedtime and then having bad dreams. Maybe Bobby is right; maybe I'll have to see someone after all this is over. If I do have PTSD, we're going to have to do something about it."

Cas felt awful. She would have to see someone, all right, and it would have to be him. He had been selfish yet again. Cas had wanted so badly to repair their relationship that he had asked God to modify everyone's memories, so that he wouldn't have to suffer anyone's bad opinion of him. But, like everything else Cas had tried, it had backfired on him. Now Gail thought she was crazy, and she thought that some of what she was remembering were delusions, or false memories. But it was all true, though he could not reassure her of that without giving the game away. He had to keep his mouth shut, though, at least for the time being. This crisis was bigger than them; there had to be unity amongst themselves, or Lucifer would just pick them all off, one by one.

So Cas did all he could do at that particular moment; he enfolded her in his arms. "We will do something about it," he assured her. "Once the current situation is resolved, we'll get you the best care there is."

"I've already got that," she said, smiling up at him.

He gave her a squeeze, and a light kiss on the lips. Then he glanced over at Frank out of habit, but Gail's brother was smiling at them. Frank had not approved of his sister having a physical relationship with Cas in the past, or at least, that was how Cas had perceived it at the time. But he realized it had been the Demon who had been ultra-sensitive in that regard. The Demon had wanted to do what he'd wanted to do, whenever and wherever he had wanted to do it. So he had pushed the envelope, acting very inappropriately with Gail in Frank's presence, and the Demon had made Cas say bad things to her brother about her, and what they'd been doing in bed together. Cas loved what they did together in bed, but those things were only for the two of them, and they should not be talked about to others. Cas knew that, of course, but the Demon hadn't, or he hadn't cared. Frank had been quite right to be angry about that. So, maybe Gail's brother didn't actually disapprove of their relationship, just the way that it had been presented to him at the time. This gave Cas hope, but he also knew that it was likely false hope. Once Cas had to come clean to them about everything he had done, Frank would be back to hating him again, and Cas saw no reason why Gail would not feel the same way. Perhaps he should just let the end of the world happen. If Gail hated him, it would be the end of his world, anyway.

"What's up with those two?" Frank asked Dean. He was watching Cas and Gail, and Cas's affectionate gesture towards Gail had made him smile.

"What do you mean, what's up with them?" Dean asked him.

"You know," Frank said, lowering his voice. "Do Angels - I mean, can they - " He gave Dean a look.

Dean frowned. Right; Frank wouldn't remember any of that, would he? Lucky him. "How the hell should I know?" he said to Frank.

Gail's brother smirked. "Don't get your knickers in a knot. I was just curious. They live together, don't they?"

"Yeah," Dean said softly.

"Well, I guess that's their business," Frank said thoughtfully. Then he smiled again. "Hey, I'm her big brother; I need to make sure she's being taken care of, don't I?"

Chuck couldn't help but overhear, mainly because he'd been listening. Yeah, she was being taken care of, all right. Multiple times, in fact, if what he'd seen last night was any indication of a typical night in Cas and Gail's bedroom. So, apparently Frank and Jody were suffering from the same kind of memory loss as Gail was. Interesting. Chuck knew that they had to be, or Frank wouldn't be talking to Cas like he was, nor would he be smiling at the couple now. Poor Frank. His brain had been messed with a couple of times. Crowley had had to modify Frank's memory when Cas had killed Frank in the very room they were standing in now. And now it seemed like God had seen fit to let Cas off the hook big time, not only with Gail, but with his ersatz brother-in-law, and with their friends, as well. Sam and Jody had obviously had their memories modified, too. Chuck knew this whole PTSD line of goods Bobby was trying to sell was a crock. Chuck guessed he'd had to tell Gail something about why she was missing so much time, and that was the cover story he had come up with. But Chuck had seen God's hand on everyone's heads in a brief vision, except for Dean's, and for Cas's himself. Chuck shook his head. Castiel had to be the luckiest son of a you-know-what in the history of the world. Ever since Cas's execution, he had been making out like a bandit. Become a Demon, do whatever you want, and then just get your Father to take out his magic eraser and make it all go away. And now, not only did everyone love Cas again, but he was still getting all the sex he could handle, maybe even a little bit more than he'd counted on. Must be nice. It was a good thing that Chuck was a good guy now, or he'd be tempted to hate Cas's guts.

Suddenly, Bobby popped into the room. He frowned as he looked at everyone. "What's everybody doing just standing around?" he said irritably.

Gail made a face. She'd gotten so carried away with her own problem, and with Cas, that she'd allowed the break to stretch further than she'd intended.

"I just gave them a break," Cas said quickly. "They needed the rest."

Dean shook his head, smiling. Cas, protecting Gail as always. Dean was so glad that Demon Cas was gone. This was the friend he knew and loved, the Cas that Dean would gladly follow into battle.

Bobby was somewhat mollified, but he was still looking stern, so Gail hastily said, "You heard the boss, everybody." She clapped her hands. "Let's go. Chop chop."

Bobby looked at Cas. "I want to talk to you for a minute." Gail nodded and said, "We'll start without you." She walked to the middle of the floor and started pairing everyone up.

"How are they doing?" Bobby asked Castiel.

Cas gave his assessment, and Bobby looked thoughtful. He seemed to be debating with himself. Finally, he said, "We need them out there, Cas. Crowley called me. He's already got hundreds of Demons roaming around."

Castiel's heart sank. They'd known about this, of course, but it was still disgusting to hear.

"If we're buying into this whole Revelation thing, we've got to find Lucifer before they do," Bobby told Cas. "Besides, I don't trust Crowley, and I definitely don't trust his Demons."

Cas nodded. Bobby was preaching to the choir on that one. "Give me one more day, Bobby," he said. "I'll have them ready for you then." He frowned. "All except for Becky. I don't think she'll ever be good enough. Do you think that selecting her was a mistake?"

Bobby shook his head. "I did think so, at first. But she's got to be one of the designates."

Cas was puzzled. "Why?" he asked.

"Because I asked Matthew about it," Bobby replied.

Castiel's eyes grew wide. "Matthew?" he echoed.

"You know him?" Bobby asked. Then he kicked himself. Of course Cas would know Matthew. They had probably gone to Angel school together.

"Yes, of course I know him," Castiel replied. "He's the last one of them in Heaven now. Mark disappeared, Luke is in the Netherworld, I believe, and John defected to Crowley and was killed in Crowley's den just before Gail escaped from there." Castiel was thoughtful now. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the alleged authors of the Gospels. Cas had had a passing acquaintance with John and Luke before John had defected and Luke had been killed, presumably by John himself. Then Mark had gone missing, probably fearing that he would be next. Rumour had it that he might be on Earth somewhere, hiding out, though exactly who he was hiding from was unclear. Cas had only seen Mark once; a passing glimpse in a hallway in Heaven. But Castiel and Matthew had spent some significant time together in Heaven, talking about theology and philosophy, and playing chess while doing it. Matthew was highly intelligent, and he had offered a worthy challenge, both on the board and in conversation. For someone who had apparently written the Gospels based on God's word, Matthew had certainly played Devil's Advocate very often. But no matter how hard Castiel had tried to pin him down, Matthew had always sprung up again. And he would never exactly admit to having written anything, nor would he talk about any of his alleged fellow Gospel writers. He had expressed shock when John had been killed, though not as much as when John had allegedly killed Luke. Also, Matthew had exhibited no discernible reaction to Mark's disappearance. Castiel supposed that the men who wrote the Gospels, or had supposedly written them, had their own group dynamic, just as the board members had. Just as Cas had now, with the Winchesters and his other group of friends. Gail looked his way and they exchanged brief smiles. There was so much yet that he had to tell her.

"Well, if you know him, you know who he is, and his connection to the Bible," Bobby said now. "So I went to see him, to ask him his opinion about this whole Revelation thing. He told me it's all true. Those were all prophecies, and they were all written by one of his group, though he refused to tell me which one. Could even be Matthew himself, for all I know. Anyway, he said that we have to follow the blueprint if we hope to defeat Lucifer." Bobby reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. "He gave me all seven Angels' names, before he and I even started talking. Everyone here is on it, along with your names from Revelation, the names you're supposed to use on Earth, your commendable points, and your 'admonishments', as he called them. I think he's the real deal, Cas. So, Becky stays."

Cas nodded again. He was not about to argue with someone who'd written the Gospel of the Lord, let alone possibly Revelation itself. They would just have to work with it. He looked at Becky now. Gail had paired Becky with Dean now, and Dean was trying his best, but Becky wasn't putting up any kind of a challenge for him. Cas nearly smiled. He could just bet that Gail had switched up the partners to spare Dean for a bit. Gail had paired with Linda herself, and Linda was matching Gail move for move.

"Can we at least keep Becky here in the bunker, then?" Cas said hopefully. "Maybe she can do some computer research for us."

Bobby had been watching Becky too, and he saw Cas's point. Maybe Becky was supposed to be part of the group, but that didn't mean that she should be sent out there to be sacrificed, either. No way was Bobby going to be that kind of God.

"OK, Cas, I think we can work something out," Bobby said soberly. "I'll talk to Sam."

"Ow!" A yell, coming from the training area. The men looked over and saw Gail sinking to the floor, bleeding profusely from the stomach.

Cas raced over to her. He fell to his knees in front of her, putting his hands on her stomach underneath her top. "What happened?" he said.

Gail smiled, grimacing through the pain. "It was my bright idea to graduate to real weapons, and Linda got me good. But you'll be glad to know she went for my flank side first, and I protected it."

Cas looked down at Gail's top. Linda must have really stuck her. Even though he'd raced over here immediately, Gail's top was already soaked with her blood. The sight sickened him, and it sickened him even more to realize that there was a time when it would have excited him. He would never forget about that, as she apparently had. He never would, and he never should.

"Thanks, Cas," Gail said, kissing him on the cheek. She hopped up onto her feet.

Linda was standing there, stunned, the knife in her hand still dripping with Gail's blood. "I'm sorry," she said, appalled at what she had done.

But Gail smiled. "Don't worry about it," she told Linda. Gail looked past her at Bobby and called out, "I think she's ready, Bobby."

The others laughed nervously. They knew that Gail was OK, but it had still been scary to witness. Most of them in the room remembered when Metatron had stabbed Gail to death in Las Vegas, either because they'd seen it with their own eyes, or in a vision. They had been focusing on Lucifer, but now they were reminded that Metatron and Aurielle were out there too, and they had better not forget that.

Bobby could read all of their faces, and though they had just started up again, he thought they would benefit from another break. If they carried on right now, the way they were looking, there would be no point to it. There was no place for doubt in a life-or-death struggle. Bobby would have to remind the Angels of that. And he needed to brief each one individually, using the information that Matthew had given him.

So he called them all to come over to where he stood, and then he said to the humans, "Take five. Get something to eat or make a pot of coffee. I have to talk to the Angels for a bit."

Sam, Dean, Frank and Jody left the room, and Gail looked at Bobby. "Can you give me a second to go home and change my top?" she asked him, looking down at herself.

Bobby nodded. That was probably a good idea. The Angels were all staring at her, and Linda was still looking mortified. "Go," he said to Gail. Then he looked at Cas, who had Gail's blood on him, too. "In fact, why don't you both go and get cleaned up? I'll take each Angel individually and tell them what I need to tell them, and I'll save you two for last."

Cas took Gail's hand, and they vanished from the training room.

Gail had a quick shower, and she emerged from the bathroom wearing fresh clothes. "That's better," Cas said, smiling. "I'll wash up, too."

When he emerged from the washroom, Gail was sitting on the bed, looking thoughtful. Cas went over to where she sat and he sat down beside her.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Cas," she assured him. "Just thinking."

Cas frowned. "What about?"

"Just wondering what's going to happen," she said soberly. "Hoping everyone's going to be all right." Then she smiled. "If I were Lucifer, I'd be scared of Linda, though. She'll kick his ass."

But Cas did not smile. "No matter how many times I tell myself you'll be fine, I can never get used to seeing you hurt like that," he told her.

Gail touched his face, and he took her hand and kissed the palm. "I want you to stay in the bunker with Becky," Cas said to her, bracing himself for her reaction.

Gail did not disappoint. "Why?" she said, taking her hand away from his. "Because I got stabbed in practice? Linda stabbed Dean three times!"

Cas shook his head. "It's not that, Gail."

"What is it, then?" she said, agitated.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you," he said earnestly.

"I don't want anything to happen to me, either," she said with a half-smile. "But we're part of the group, aren't we? Hey, I don't want anything to happen to you, either. I'll tell you what. We'll ask Bobby if we can be sent out together. How's that?"

Cas sighed with relief. "That would be the next best thing, yes," he said to her.

"You're cute when you're protective," she said teasingly. "Aaah, who am I kidding? You're just cute, period."

Cas smiled. "I'm glad you think so. I don't think anyone else in the training room would agree with you right now."

"Who cares?" she said lightly.

He leaned forward to kiss her, and as he'd hoped she might, Gail opened her mouth and gave him her tongue. He loved to kiss her like that; it was so intimate. He wrapped his arms around her as the kiss continued.

Then Castiel broke the kiss. "We should not be doing this right now." But his arms stayed around her.

"You sound like Castiel now," she teased softly.

His brow furrowed. "I AM Castiel," he said, puzzled.

"You know what I mean," Gail said, smiling.

"Yes, I do," he answered. His voice was soft now, too. "And I meant what I said. I am Castiel. You told me I was welcome any time."

But Gail looked puzzled now, and he cursed himself. That was another thing she wouldn't remember. He'd better think of something, quick.

So he kissed her again, as Cas always did, and he lifted her top slightly, touching her bare skin. He had only done that the one time as himself, but he had liked it very much. This time he had panicked, looking only to distract her from what he had just blurted out in his excitement to be doing what he had been doing.

This time Gail broke the kiss. "Well, whoever you are, I still think you could teach a class on how to do that," she breathed, smiling. "But you're right, we shouldn't be doing this now." So, of course, she kissed him again.

Castiel was still touching her bare skin, and he was getting excited now. They needed to stop. But he didn't want to stop. When they went back to the bunker, Bobby was going to send them to seek out Lucifer, Metatron and Aurielle, and they would have to be on their guard at all times. He felt the need to protect Gail, as always, but he also felt the responsibility for all of the Angels who he had been training. Since when had he become the one who was supposed to look out after a flock of Angels? He couldn't even look after himself, most of the time.

But being with Gail always gave him confidence in himself. She had so much faith in him it was amazing to him, and he felt stronger when he was with her. Cas was the one who joked with her and her friends, and he was the one who was intimate with her here. It was Castiel who took on the role of protector and disciplinarian, and it was Cas who got to have all of the fun. Maybe Castiel could let his halo slip just this once, before he had to take them all into battle.

Castiel's hands travelled north, and he was tentatively touching Gail's breasts now. Her skin was so soft that it was unbelievable. He felt very shy about touching her in such an intimate fashion, but Gail was smiling at him and touching his face, giving him the courage he needed to proceed. He kissed her again, using his tongue, and when he received hers in return, he grabbed the bottom of her top and pulled it off over her head.

She started to unbutton his shirt, and when he saw that she was having difficulty, he smiled and took her hands in his. Gail looked at him uncertainly now. His face was different somehow, and though he was smiling, his expression was unreadable.

"Allow me," Castiel said. He unbuttoned his shirt deftly. He knew she'd always had trouble with the buttons on mens' shirts, no matter which of them had been wearing one at the time.

Gail was relieved. She'd thought for a moment that he had been about to stop her. His expression was so strange, so unreadable. And they really shouldn't be taking the time to do this now, when they were needed back at the bunker. But she was starting to feel the gravity of the situation now, too. Lucifer's legend loomed large in her mind, and Gail was afraid for all of them. She had seen Bobby when he'd gotten out of Lucifer's cage, and he had been certifiably insane; so much so that he had had to check himself into a mental hospital. And from everything she had been able to discern, Sam had been the same way, a few years prior. If Lucifer could do that to them, what could he do to her, or to Cas? Or to Chuck, or any of their other friends? And the things that they had read about in Revelation, the events that Lucifer was apparently supposed to bring about? Well then, no one was safe, were they?

Castiel had his shirt off now, and he kissed her again, touching her gently. "This may be the last time we're able to be together like this for a while," he told her, and his expression was serious now.

"I hope not," Gail tried to joke, but she was afraid he might be right.

Castiel made love to her then, for only the second time as himself. He was gentle, and very tentative, so different from the way Cas normally was, and he did not smile. But he held her tightly throughout, and he told her that he loved her, over and over again. And when they were done, he put Gail's clothes back on as if he were dressing a child, kissing her on the forehead when he was done. Then he put his own clothes on and knelt in front of her, touching her face with both hands.

"Thank you," he said to her.

"What for?" Gail said softly. She was extremely puzzled now. She had never seen Cas quite like this before. So quiet; so solemn.

"For everything," he responded. "For loving me. For letting me love you. For the happiest time of my whole existence."

She looked at him sharply. "Don't do that," Gail said.

"Do what?" Castiel asked her.

"Don't say goodbye," she replied. "You sound like you're saying goodbye. Nobody's dying, Cas. Nobody. Do you hear me?" She was raising her voice now, because he was scaring her.

"No, of course not," he said hastily. He had frightened her, when he had simply been trying to express his feelings. "Of course no one is going to die. I was just trying to tell you how much I love you." Castiel leaned forward and gave her one more kiss, a long, slow one, and then Cas took over.

"I think you're right about Linda, though," he said softly in Gail's ear. "If I were Lucifer, I'd be extremely worried."

Gail rewarded him with a laugh, and she embraced him tightly. "I love you, Cas," she said. "Now let's go kick Satan's butt."

They joined hands and winked themselves back to the bunker.

Satan's butt was currently on the edge of the bed, and he was using the remote to flip from channel to channel, fascinated by what he was seeing. Like his Brother Castiel, he was captivated by the variety of the images, and like young Kevin, he had been delighted by the music videos and their overt sexuality. There was a Sin on every station, it seemed, and Lucifer was sure he was going to enjoy his time here on Earth.

"Would you just settle on one thing for a minute?" Aurielle said irritably. The constant changing of images was starting to give her a headache. She was sitting on the other bed, watching him watch the TV. The only things that had held her interest were the scenes of sexuality that were depicted on the screen. Aurielle did indeed have a one-track mind, and she had been fantasizing about herself and Castiel in a multitude of different positions and situations ever since she and Lucifer had gotten here.

"All right, I will," Lucifer said cheerfully. He kept on clicking for a moment, and then he said, "And...boom."

He had landed on the same televangelist show that Castiel had been watching that morning, and that Felicia and Mark had watched later on. OK, this was entertainment, Lucifer thought, smirking. A pudgy, middle-aged guy with a Southern accent, railing on about sin. Like he had any idea what he was talking about. But it was remarkable. His studio audience was listening to him, enthralled, expressions of rapture on their faces.

Lucifer sat up straighter. Rapture. That was it. He continued to watch the man, studying him. And when the program was over, Lucifer turned to Aurielle and grinned.

"We have a plan," he said to her.


	3. A Rose By Any Other Name

Bobby sent the other Angels out of the training room, and he placed one chair facing his and asked Becky to sit down.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked him, wide-eyed.

"No, dear," Bobby told her. He sat down and gestured for her to do the same. She did, and he continued, "I'm just here to talk to all of you about your assignments."

Bobby took out the piece of paper Matthew had given him. "Your Biblical name is Sardis," he told Becky.

"Isn't that something from Dr. Who? That sounds like something Kevin told me about," Becky asked him, puzzled.

Bobby's beard twitched. "It's from the chapter of the Bible called Revelation. You and the other six Angels are the seven spirits, who will be looking for Lucifer."

Becky was awestruck. Her? Who would have ever imagined that she would be part of a group of Angels who had been picked out for something so important? She was supposed to be part of the group that was looking for Lucifer? The Devil himself? Was Bobby crazy?

"Your Earth name will be Selena," Bobby went on.

But Becky was shaking her head. "I think maybe you should pick somebody else, Bobby," Becky said hesitantly. She'd gotten used to calling him Bobby now, mainly because he'd insisted on it, but that didn't mean that Becky was exactly prepared to argue with God, either. "I'm no good. You saw."

Bobby gave her a tight smile. "So, you're not a good fighter. Not everyone is, Becky. But there are other things you can do to help. I'm going to have you stay here in the bunker and help Sam with the research. We don't know what identity Lucifer will be using, so we'll need you to do Internet searches based on whatever game plan Sam comes up with, and whatever information you might receive from the Angels out in the field."

Bobby sat back in his chair. There. He'd tried to make it sound like really important work, so Becky's feelings wouldn't be too hurt. And the research could actually turn out to be important, if they got any idea of what they were supposed to be looking for, Bobby thought wryly.

Becky's face lit up. She was going to be here with Sam? Suddenly, she didn't care if she ever learned how to fight. She felt like kissing Bobby.

"There are a couple of things I'm supposed to tell you," Bobby went on. He consulted the piece of paper, but there were no good points written there for Sardis, only an admonishment. Bobby almost smiled. Way to build her self-esteem, Matthew. "Actually, just one," he amended. "I have to tell you that you have one 'admonishment', which I think is just a fancy way of saying that it's something that you need to improve about yourself."

"What is it?" Becky asked in a small voice.

"I'll read it to you, and it'll be up to you to decide what it means," Bobby told her. That was what Matthew had said to him, and that actually made sense to Bobby. He knew from personal experience that the best person to judge what most needed improvement in you was you, yourself. He continued, "It says, 'Works have not been perfect before God'."

Becky was puzzled. What the heck did that even mean? Sounded like some of her report cards from school. Then she thought about it for a moment. Maybe it was talking about her work at the office. Admittedly, she didn't work as hard as some of the other Angels, because she often found herself staring off into space, picturing Sam and wondering what he was doing. The paperwork she had been assigned to process was so boring, but Becky never got tired of daydreaming about herself and Sam. There had been no one who had been happier about Cas and Gail getting back together, except for Cas himself of course, than Becky. Though Gail no longer remembered the time she had been separated from Cas, living in the bunker, Becky definitely did. For a while there, Becky had actually been afraid that Gail might steal Sam right out from under her nose. But now Becky realized that she shouldn't have been worried. Cas and Gail were back together now, and they were the close and loving couple that Becky had always been familiar with. So as far as Becky was concerned, Sam was back on the market. The fact that Sam had been gravitating towards Gail was moot now. Though Becky still didn't understand why Cas and Gail had been apart in the first place. Kevin couldn't tell her anything about that, or he wouldn't. Becky used this, among other things, as justification for not making a commitment to Kevin. Kevin never told her anything that was really important. Maybe he thought she couldn't be trusted not to blab about it, or worse, that she would be too stupid to understand what he was telling her. Yes, Becky knew she wasn't the smartest girl around. Kevin was way smarter than she was, and Sam was smarter than both of them put together. But she couldn't let that intimidate her. To Becky, brains weren't as important as love, and devotion. If Sam would just see how much Becky loved him, and how good she could be for him, Becky was sure he wouldn't care how many IQ points she had. Maybe just working alongside Sam would make her smarter. And if Sam showed her anything, any sign of encouragement at all, Becky would cut Kevin loose immediately. She knew it wasn't fair to him to keep him hanging on like this. But, look where her relationship with Kevin had gotten her. Becky was on the verge of getting everything she had ever wanted.

Bobby sat down with Chuck next, and he began by commending Chuck on his discretion when it came to Gail's memory loss. Chuck was the only Angel who had been privy to the goings-on when Cas had been a Demon, and he was the only one who had seen Cas in that state with his own two eyes.

"Yeah, well, there's no upside in telling Gail about that now," Chuck replied. "The important thing is they're both back to normal, and they're both happy. Extremely happy, apparently," he added, flashing a grin.

Bobby looked sharply at Chuck. What did he mean by that, exactly? Oh, right. Prophet. But Bobby definitely didn't want to hear about that kind of stuff, so he looked down at the piece of paper he was holding in his hand.

"Your Bible name is Pergamum," Bobby told Chuck.

"Mum's the word," Chuck said cheerfully. Bobby gave him a strange look, so he shut up. Oh, well; not everyone shared the same sense of humour.

"Your Earth name will be Percy," Bobby pressed on. "Your good point is that you have never denied your faith."

Chuck thought about that. He supposed it was true, in a way. Even when he had been a bad guy, there was a part of him that had always known that he should really be a good guy. But it was hard, sometimes. Look at all the stuff that Cas and Gail and Sam and Dean had been through. And look at all of them now, being sent out to look for Lucifer, and possibly being present on Earth to see the onset of Armageddon. No wonder Chuck was tempted, once in a while, to return to the dark side. Things were probably a lot less scary in Lucifer's camp than they were here.

Bobby was frowning, looking at the piece of paper again. Did he really have to say this to Chuck? He sighed. "And, you're admonished for 'committing sexual immorality'," Bobby read.

Chuck's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Bobby shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm just telling you what it says, Chuck. Make of it what you will."

Chuck sat back in his chair, astonished. He had tried asking Bobby where this stuff was coming from, but Bobby wouldn't say; just that it was from "a very reliable source". What exactly did this source know? And which particular immorality were they referring to? There had been a few, when he'd been human. Chuck had confessed one of these to Gail, in the conversation they'd had that she would no longer remember. Then there was the little matter of Chuck's having been a voyeur when he had been having visions of Cas and Gail having sex. It was definitely wrong for him to keep watching that, and he knew it. That had to be it; Lord knew, Chuck hadn't had the opportunity to be truly immoral with a woman in quite some time. Unfortunately. So, Chuck had better quit. Maybe someone was trying to tell him that impure thoughts led to impure deeds, or something like that. But it wasn't as if Chuck didn't already know that.

"OK. Bobby," Chuck said, frowning. "Is that it, then?"

"Yeah, that's it, Chuck," Bobby replied. Then he smiled. "Send in the next Musketeer."

Ethan wanted to know how the investigation was going to work, but Bobby had nothing for him in that regard. "I'm hoping Sam will have some kind of a game plan," he told Ethan.

"But what kind of a plan can he have?" Ethan persisted. "From what you're telling me, Lucifer, Metatron, and Aurielle could look like anyone, and they could be anywhere. And you're also telling me that they're shielded from us, so no one can sense where they are. How are we supposed to start an investigation when we don't have a single clue?"

Bobby was frowning again. He'd thought about that too, and any conclusion he could come up with wasn't very pleasant.

"You know what I think?" Ethan continued. "I think we're supposed to go out there as bait. We don't know who he is, but he'll be able to sense us, right?"

Bobby was impressed. Cas may have recommended Ethan for the promotion, but Bobby had decided to implement it, and he had made the right decision. Ethan was head of Law Enforcement for a reason. "All right, Ethan, that's what I think, too," Bobby agreed.

Ethan shrugged. "Hey, sacrifices have to be made, I guess," he said with equanimity. "I guess that's why you've been training us the way you have."

"From what I hear, you didn't need much training," Bobby told him.

Ethan smiled. "Yeah, well, when you've been through the police academy, everything else is a piece of cake. I just have to get the hang of uncorking a vial of holy water, instead of taking the safety off my gun."

Bobby looked at the piece of paper. "Your Bible name is Smyrna, and your Earth name will be Myron." He paused for the smart-ass remark he was sure would be forthcoming, but Ethan made none. The young Angel was in cop mode now. Bobby looked at the paper again. "Now, this is kinda weird, Ethan," he said. "You're admonished not to fear a '10-day tribulation', but you're also praised for being 'rich' while impoverished, and in tribulation."

He looked up at Ethan. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I have no idea what that could even mean."

Ethan had no idea either, but ever since he had become an Angel, Ethan's personality had morphed into a peculiar mix of both Christian and cop, and he now lived his existence believing that facts and faith could happily co-exist. So, no; he had no idea what Bobby had said could be referring to. But he had faith that it would eventually be revealed to him. And, while he didn't like the idea of a "tribulation", at least it was only to last 10 days. The Jews in the desert had suffered for a lot longer. Hell, even Chicago Cubs fans had suffered way longer than that.

He smiled wryly. "That's OK, Bobby. I'm sure all will be revealed." Then he stood, but Ethan lingered for a moment, looking at Bobby.

"Yeah, Ethan?" Bobby asked him.

"Do you think..." Ethan's voice caught a little. He cleared his throat. "Do you think I could pop over to check on Karen and my son for a second? Just to see that they're all right?"

Bobby thought about that for a moment. Strictly speaking, he should say no; otherwise, wouldn't every Angel want to do that? But then again, of the particular Angels that had been designated for this assignment, Ethan was the only one Bobby knew of who had an immediate family that were still alive on this Earth. Yes, Becky also had parents and siblings who were still living, but she had basically cut her ties with all of them years ago. Chuck had no one, as far as Bobby was aware, and Kevin and his mother had each other. So did Cas and Gail, and Gail's brother was back in the fold now. And now Bobby wondered if these particular Angels had been picked because they had no emotional ties to anyone on Earth. Except for Ethan, of course, who was now looking at Bobby with hope.

"All right, Ethan, you can pop over there for a few minutes," Bobby said, sighing. "But don't attempt to communicate with them in any way, and don't let them see you. And, don't tell anybody else I said it was OK," he added gruffly. "And I do mean, anyone." The last thing Bobby would need was a lineup outside his office stretching to infinity of all the Angels who wanted to pop down to Earth and check on their loved ones. That may happen in the movies, but it wasn't gonna happen in real life.

"Thanks, Bobby," Ethan said, his face lighting up. "Thanks a lot." He shook Bobby's hand and then left the room.

The third Musketeer was next.

Kevin sat down and looked at Bobby a little guiltily. "I'm sure Cas told you I'm not very good," Kevin said. "But I've asked him to work with me, and if you give me a bit more time, I'm sure I'll get better."

"We don't have much time left," Bobby said to him. "One more day is all I can give you."

"I'll work really hard," Kevin assured him. "You'll see."

Bobby sighed again. Kevin was so young. All of them were, really. Well, most of them. Cas must be about a million years old, Bobby thought. But he sure didn't look it. It was Bobby who was getting the grey hairs and the wrinkles. Well, if he was going to be God, he supposed he should look the part.

"OK, Kevin," Bobby said. "One more day. Then, if Cas says you've improved enough, you can go out in the field with the rest of them. Well, all except for Becky, that is."

"Becky?" Kevin said.

"Yeah," Bobby replied. "Her fighting skills are, shall we say, not quite up to par. So I'm keeping her back here, to do research if and when it's needed."

Kevin smiled, relieved. "Thanks, Bobby." He had been worried about Becky going out there, too.

"Your Bible name is Laodicea, and your Earth name will be Leo," Bobby told him. Then Bobby double-checked the paper. Apparently, Kevin had nothing to commend him either, just an admonishment. Strange how the two youngest and least confident Angels weren't being given any encouragement. But he went on: "You're admonished to be zealous, and not lukewarm. It says, 'Anoint your eyes with eye salve, in order that you may see'."

Bobby looked up from the paper at Kevin. Now, this one made the most sense yet, at least as far as Bobby was concerned. He thought that the first part was actually intended as encouragement. Kevin was too tentative, too unsure of himself; at least in Bobby's opinion. He was smart as a whip, and he was a Prophet. Kevin had a lot to offer Heaven, based on those two factors alone. But he seemed to feel inadequate. Maybe it was Tiger Mom, putting the pressure on Kevin. Or maybe the young Angel was putting the pressure on himself, wanting to be a superhero for Becky. In any event, Bobby thought that Kevin would benefit immensely from a shot of self-confidence. Maybe Cas could take Kevin under his wing for a bit. Well, metaphorically speaking, anyway.

And that part about the eye salve? Even though Bobby tried very hard not to think about such things, it was obvious to him that Kevin seemed to like little Becky a lot more than she seemed to like him. But it was not Bobby's job to monitor the love lives of his Angels. Kevin and Becky would just have to sort out that little situation on their own.

"Ask your mother to come in," Bobby said to Kevin.

Linda strode into the room and plunked herself into the chair opposite Bobby. She was ready to go out there and start kicking some evil butt.

Without preliminary, Bobby told her, "Your Bible name is Ephesus, and your Earth name will be Effie. Your good points: You won't bear those that are evil, and you will test those who say that they are apostles but aren't. That's what it says here."

Linda nodded. Sounded like her, all right. She was good to go. She had her knife and her supply of holy water all packed. Maybe she'd get Bobby to bless some more before she left. Holy water had always been one of her favourite ways to tell the good from the bad, and it could serve as a great distraction. You could fling it in their face, then stab them as they hissed in pain. And if all else failed, there was always Dean's method, which Linda knew full well about. She had done that to Jason just before he'd killed her, and she couldn't wait to do it to another one of those evil bastards.

She started to rise from her chair, but Bobby held up his hand. "Wait," he said, consulting the piece of paper in his hand. "I have to give you your admonishment."

Linda raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Bobby frowned as he looked at her. Thanks, Matthew, he thought. "You're admonished for leaving your first love," he told her.

She looked at him sharply. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Bobby almost grinned. Linda had a way of speaking that rubbed some people the wrong way, but that Bobby appreciated. She didn't suffer fools, and she cut through the b.s., much as Bobby liked to do himself.

"I don't know, Linda," he said, shrugging. "That's for you to figure out."

She frowned. Her first love? She had married Kevin's father, Kelvin, when she had been very young. They were Asian, and their families had believed in the traditional ways. So Linda and Kelvin had been pushed together by their parents, and pressured into marrying. She'd liked Kelvin okay, but Linda hadn't been as strong then as she was now, and she had caved to the pressure and had married Kelvin. But at least she'd gotten Kevin out of their union. Once Kevin had arrived, he had become Linda's whole life, and Kelvin had seemed redundant. So they had gotten a divorce, and although their parents had been devastated, hoping for more grandchildren, they had at least gotten a boy, so that had been good enough.

But Linda had never really loved Kelvin, she had only married him. She thought back but came up blank. Then she shrugged. She'd think about it later.

"OK, Linda. Can you send Cas in, please?" Bobby said.

He'd saved the two hardest for the last. When Cas came in and sat down, Bobby looked at him evenly.

"What?" Cas asked Bobby.

"How are you feeling, Cas?" Bobby asked him.

"Fine. Okay," Cas replied. But Bobby continued to look at him, so Cas frowned. "All right, Bobby. I'm worried. I'm scared. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"It's only natural to be worried, considering who's out there," Bobby said calmly. "But it kind of scares me to hear that you're scared."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Cas retorted. "Aurielle has tried to kill Gail, and she's dangerously delusional. Metatron's list of wrongdoings is legendary. And Lucifer? Well, you yourself know what he is capable of. And we're sending innocent, inexperienced Angels out there to be bait for him. I know that's what has to be done, but I don't feel particularly good about it. Even though I was the one who suggested it in the first place."

Bobby sat back in his chair. He didn't feel particularly good about it, either. But he believed that was the function that the Angels were supposed to serve. Lucifer had to be drawn out somehow. And Bobby happened to agree with Crowley on this particular point: he also believed that Lucifer wouldn't be able to resist making a big splash of some sort. They would just have to watch for the ripples when he did.

Bobby made his request for Cas to mentor Kevin, and Cas gave his agreement. Both men remarked that they would feel better if the young Prophet were to become a little more confident in his own abilities.

"I'm already keeping Becky away from the field," Bobby remarked. "I'd hate to have to do that with Kevin, too."

"You won't have to," Cas assured him. "I'll make sure he's ready, Bobby." Then he smiled grimly. "You know, I came very close to asking you if you would consider basing Gail out of here, also."

Bobby didn't know whether to smile or to frown. Cas, still trying to protect Gail after all this time. He guessed that was sweet, especially because there had been a time, and not that long ago, that Cas had actually been harming Gail himself. But even though Cas was God's lieutenant again, Bobby thought that Cas was still thinking the wrong way.

"You're not going to ask me to do that, though, are you, Cas?" Bobby said coolly.

"She wouldn't hear of it," Cas responded, frowning. "She said she was no more special or important than any of the others."

"She was right," Bobby said bluntly.

Cas was dismayed. "You don't really feel that way, do you, Bobby?" he said disbelievingly.

"Yeah, I do," Bobby answered. "This is war, Cas, or it's about to be. You said that yourself. We need all the soldiers we can get."

"But this is Gail we're talking about," Cas protested.

"I know that, Cas. That's why we need her out there." Bobby leaned forward. "Look, Cas, I love her too, but why should she be protected over, say, Kevin, or Linda, or Chuck?"

Cas was starting to get mad now. He knew what Bobby was saying, at least intellectually, but he didn't care. "Are you saying that she's expendable?" he said in his quiet voice.

It had been a while since he'd pissed off Castiel the Angel, and Bobby had almost forgotten what he was like when he got angry. But Bobby was the boss, and he was determined to have his say. "No, that's not what I'm trying to say, Cas," he said firmly. "I don't want to lose anyone. But if we're sending them all out there to be bait, yourself included, she's gotta be one of the group. Matthew said so."

"Matthew?" Castiel echoed, incredulous.

"Yes, Matthew," Bobby snapped back. "Look, Cas, either we're buying into this Revelation thing, or we're not. And if we are, this is the blueprint that we're supposed to follow. We can't just change the plans to suit our personal agendas, Cas."

Castiel was fuming now, and the fact that Bobby was right made him just as angry as what Bobby was actually saying. "Fine," he said in a clipped tone. "Then at least assign us together. Please," he added grudgingly.

But Bobby was shaking his head. "I can't do that, Cas. You can't go out in teams. You have to go out individually. That's why I was so adamant that everyone be trained in combat."

Castiel was alarmed. "Individually? Why?"

Bobby opened his mouth to speak, but Cas wasn't finished yet. "Oh, let me guess, Matthew said," he said sarcastically. "You realize they're being led as lambs to the slaughter, don't you?" He raised his voice. "You know, it's really easy for someone who's sitting in an office to dictate terms of war, isn't it?"

Now Bobby was mad. "Are you talking about Matthew now, Cas? Or are you talking about me?" His voice raised to match Cas's. "And before you answer that, let me remind you that it wasn't so long ago that I would have been strategizing against you, not with you."

The men stared at each other for a moment, then Bobby looked at the piece of paper he still held in his hand. "Your Bible name is Thyatira, and your Earth name will be Thane. You are to be praised for your works, your love, your service, your faith, and your patience." He looked up from the paper. "You might wanna take note of those last three," Bobby added dryly. "And I hate to tell you this, but you are admonished for allowing a prophetess to sink into sexual immorality. A direct quote."

Castiel was floored. The Gospel was obviously referring to his time as a Demon, and the fact that he had injected Gail with his own diseased blood in a horrifyingly misguided attempt to keep her from leaving him. True, he had not been in his right mind at the time, but the consequences could have been disastrous had Gail not doggedly pursued the cure for them both. And he had ended up losing her anyway, only to receive a second chance, months later, when God Himself had erased her memories of that entire time. Now Bobby was telling him that his biggest sin was recorded in the Bible, and had been foretold? Had that whole ugly time in their lives been intentionally brought about to set up the events depicted in Revelation? And, if that was the case, why couldn't God seem to stop playing with His childrens' lives?

Cas stood abruptly. "Are we done here?"

Bobby sighed. He'd known that particular admonishment wasn't going to be well-received. But Cas had brought it on himself, after all, hadn't he? "Yeah, Cas, we're done. Send Gail in."

Gail entered the room looking puzzled. She sat down, looking at Bobby.

"What did you say to Cas?" she asked him.

"Why?" Bobby countered.

She frowned. "He rushed out of here, looking very upset. He told me there was someone he needed to talk to, and then he just took off."

"He took off?" Bobby echoed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he hugged the stuffing out of me," she responded with a half-smile, "and then he winked out."

Bobby was worried now. The last thing he needed was Cas going loose cannon at the eleventh hour. "Did he say where he was going, or when he'd be coming back?"

"Nope," Gail replied. "I thought you sent him somewhere."

Bobby scowled. "No, I didn't."

Gail shrugged. "Well, wherever he went, I'm sure it must be important. We'll just keep on training until he gets back." She brightened. "So, what's my Earth name? Nothing unpronounceable, I hope. I always thought I looked like a Vivian, or something. And I'm not looking forward to my admonishment. Let's face it, you have a veritable wealth of flaws to draw from."

Bobby's beard twitched furiously. She was truly one of a kind. He'd been lying to Cas; Bobby did think that Gail was special. If Bobby was at all able to protect her, he would. But Matthew had advised that this was the way it had to happen. "How do you know what I've been saying to them?" he asked her, trying to remain stern with her.

She shrugged again. "Hey, Angels talk. "I think TMZ could take a few lessons from the grapevine in Heaven sometimes."

Bobby held the piece of paper in front of his face so she wouldn't see him smile. He had thought this would be hard, but she was making it damn near impossible.

"Your Bible name is Philadelphia," Bobby said, reading from the paper.

"Really? The City of Brotherly Love? Wait till I tell Frank," she said with a smile. Then Gail raised a hand to her mouth. "Pssst. I've been there. Not so brotherly, and not so loving. And that's just the Phillies fans."

Bobby gave up. He lowered the piece of paper and grinned at her. "I'm trying to be serious here, Gail," he told her.

"I'm sorry, Bobby. The more nervous I am, the more I tend to joke," Gail said. She sat up straighter. "OK, I'll stop now."

Bobby sincerely doubted that, but he continued anyway. "And your Earth name is Adele."

"Adele. Nice," Gail commented. She'd been about to add something about looking forward to receiving her first gold record, but she restrained herself. No sense pushing her luck.

Bobby waited, but it seemed like that was all she was going to say, so he went on, "You're praised for having strength, keeping God's word, and not denying your name."

Gail was pleased by the first two things Bobby had said but puzzled by the third. What did that even mean? Hadn't Bobby just given her a pseudonym? She sighed. More enigmatic crap. Lucky Dean wasn't one of the seven Angels.

"OK, Bobby. Let me have it," she said, bracing herself for the admonishment to come.

Bobby gave her a warm smile. "You're admonished to 'hold fast to what you have'," he quoted from the paper.

Gail waited, but Bobby said nothing further. "That's it?" she said, astonished.

"Yup. That's it," Bobby replied.

She broke into a wide smile. "Well, that's easy," Gail told him. "When Cas comes back, I'LL just hug the stuffing out of HIM." Then her expression turned serious. "And I'll do whatever you need me to do, Bobby. We have to get these guys, and we have to make sure everyone stays safe in the process."

Bobby stood. "Well, for right now, we have to make sure they all get in as much training as possible. I'm sending them all out tomorrow. All except for Becky. She's gonna stay here with Sam."

Gail also stood, and she breathed a sigh of relief now. "Oh, thank God," she said.

Bobby smiled. "I thought you might be happy about that."

Gail smirked. "Actually, I thought that maybe Cas had gone behind my back and asked you to keep me here, too. And you would have said no, of course."

Bobby was startled. It was almost as if she'd been in the room with him and Cas during their conversation.

Gail put her hand on his arm. "Don't worry, I don't have super-hearing, or anything, just the ordinary extra-special Angel hearing. Cas told me he wanted me to stay here, and I got mad at him. But I know the way his mind works. I figured he'd ask anyway, and if you agreed, he'd just tell me it was God's orders. But he seemed mad when he left here, so I figured you'd turned down his request."

"You're mighty close," Bobby admitted. He frowned. "I need you out there, Gail. You know that, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I know." Then she sighed. "I'm probably the yummiest bait of all, next to Cas himself. I'm an Original too, aren't I? And so is Lucifer, and so is Metatron. That's got to be significant, in some way." Gail gave Bobby a tight smile. "And, so is Cas. Maybe I should ask you to keep HIM in the bunker."

Impulsively, Bobby grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Take care of yourself out there, willya?" he said to her.

Gail's smile turned genuine. "I will, Bobby, thanks. Now, let's go whip some Angels into shape." She squeezed Bobby's hand in return, and then they walked out of the room to collect the others.

Castiel was the angriest he had ever been in his entire existence, and that was including the time that he had been a Demon.

He'd torn out of the training room and come out to the library area, where the humans and the Angels had congregated while waiting for Bobby's briefings to conclude. Gail had stood, knowing that she would be the next, because she was the last. Then she'd seen Cas's face.

"What's the matter?" she had asked him.

Cas had said nothing; he'd just rushed to her and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. Then he'd let her go and said, "I have to talk to someone." And then, just like that, he had winked himself to the place where he was at now.

He had gone to the park that was in front of the apartment building where he and Gail had lived before they'd had to go on the run prior to the tribunal. Cas glanced up at the building for a moment. He hoped whoever lived there now was happy. He and Gail certainly had been.

Cas sat on the bench Gail had always favoured, staring at the flowers and the trees. Fall's colours were in full bloom now, and the sight was amazing. All he would need was the sunrise, and Gail on the bench beside him holding his hand, and he could just sit here in quiet contemplation all day.

But he had never felt less serene. Castiel had had it.

"Father," he said out loud. There was no one around, but even if there had been, he wouldn't have cared at the moment. "Father," he repeated, louder now. "I need to speak with you."

He waited. Nothing. Big surprise. Apparently, it was to be another one-sided conversation. No matter; Castiel had had plenty of practice with those when it came to talking with God.

"Why did you encourage me to burn Chuck's manuscript?" Cas railed up at the sky. "Now, I have zero ability to see into the future. Think of how many things I would have been able to avert. So you want Armageddon to happen, do you? Why? Are you trying to cleanse the human race, or are you just trying to get rid of my friends, and us, instead? We're all to go out there alone, to be sitting ducks for him? Fine, then. Have him take me. I have my blade, and I have my powers. But spare the rest of them, please. Keep her safe. She doesn't deserve anything else. She didn't deserve any of it to begin with. If this is my true punishment, then let it be mine, alone."

He bowed his head. "I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining. I believe in love, even when I am alone. And I believe in God, even when He is silent." Castiel was still angry, but he didn't want to go to his potential death bitter. Anger had been the cause of so many of his problems in the past. "Thy will be done," he concluded.

Castiel raised his head. He wanted to take another moment to appreciate the sight of the fall colours. Soon the red of the leaves would be replaced with the red of human, Demon and Angel blood, spilled on the Earth. And, contrary to what his reputation might suggest, Castiel knew which he would prefer.

Gail smiled as Cas appeared back in the training room. "There you are," she said to him. "Good, you can take over for me. I'm getting sore already. I think my true strength lies in supervision." She handed him the knife she'd been holding. She had paired herself with Kevin, knowing that Cas would replace her when he came back.

Becky and Jody had been sitting on the sidelines, talking quietly. Gail had felt that it was OK to take Becky out of the rotation now, since Bobby had told her that the young Angel wouldn't be sent out from the bunker after all. Gail had stayed in herself, spelling Jody, because she'd felt she could benefit from a refresher herself. Gail was still smarting a bit from when Linda had stuck her earlier. True, Linda was tenacious, but Gail still felt like she should have come out on top of that exchange. But, when was the last time Gail had really fought? She couldn't actually remember. And if it had been that long, she'd better keep rotating herself in, too. That gave her an idea.

Cas had put his arm around her as he'd taken the knife from her, but he made sure to hold it well away from her. It was still too strange to be holding her and holding a weapon at the same time.

"We have more than enough trainers now," Gail said to Cas. "Do you mind spending a few minutes with me? I feel really rusty."

Cas's eyes widened. "You want me to spar with you?"

Gail nodded. "Yes. You're the only one who's ever given me a real challenge in here."

Cas felt sick. There was no way he could do that. He hadn't forgotten when he had stabbed her here that first time, and how awful he had felt about it. But SHE had forgotten about the time he had done it again, when he had been the Demon. Had the Demon done it on purpose? Perhaps. But It had not allowed Cas to re-take possession until Gail had provided words of love and promises of devotion, and subjugation. She had been in pain, asking for his help, and the Demon had held him back from healing her. Frank had been angry about it, and rightfully so. Then Cas had finally been allowed to heal her, but he would never forget that day, or the hurt look in her eyes when she had stared at him, wondering why he wasn't healing her.

"No," he said shortly. "Go sit down. I promised Bobby that I would train with Kevin."

Gail was surprised. "Don't you want me to be sharp?" she asked him.

Cas frowned. He did want that; he just couldn't be the one to do it. "Pick someone else, then," he said to her. "Please."

"I'll do it," Dean said. "I could use the rest."

"Oh, har har," Gail said. "Just for that, I'm getting my blade." She walked over to the table and looked at the weapons there. But she didn't remember any of the training she'd received about the markings on it, so she didn't know which one was hers. She looked at the blades, frustrated. Shouldn't she be able to tell the difference? It was hers, wasn't it?

"A little help, here?" she said, looking back at Cas. He came to the table and spotted it right away, handing it to her.

"How did you identify it so quickly?" Gail asked him.

Cas felt badly. There had been a lot of benefits for him in her memory loss, but this one was a detriment to her. She really should know about the markings, and about whatever additional powers they said that she had been given. In point of fact, he had been meaning to sit down with her and go over them, but he had not done it. Now they were nearly out of time, and she was going to be sent out there alone, without the benefit of that knowledge.

He leaned down to speak quietly in her ear, so that none of the others could hear. "I want you to do something for me. The instant Bobby sends you out there, I want you to go to the crossroads and see Crowley."

Gail looked up at him, startled. Why would he say that? Weren't the two of them going out in the field together? And why would he want her to do that, anyway? But it was obvious he didn't want anyone else to hear what they were saying, so she leaned in close, too. "Why?" she asked him softly.

"Cas, come on, let's go," Dean called out.

Cas looked at the group, then he looked at Gail. With all due respect to Bobby, Cas knew which his priority was. Presumably Bobby had gone back to Heaven, as he was currently nowhere in sight. Hopefully, he wasn't watching them from there.

"Keep going, everyone," Cas said to them. He grabbed Gail's hand and pulled her out into the hallway.

"I don't have time to explain," Cas said to her. "Just trust me, Gail, please. Give him your blade and ask him to read the markings."

"Give him my blade?" she said incredulously. Then she smiled. "Who are you, and what have you done with Castiel?"

But he didn't smile. "Please don't joke right now, Gail. You need to know what the markings on your blade can tell you about your powers. I should have done that with you a long time ago. I am truly sorry."

She continued to stare at him, astonished. What was this, all of a sudden? She'd had this blade for how long, and she was just hearing about this now?

"I don't have time to explain," Cas repeated. "Just promise me you'll do it. What you learn about your powers could save your life, or someone else's." He felt horrible now. How could he have been so neglectful? Cas dropped the knife he'd been holding and put his arms around Gail. "Promise me you'll go. Please."

"All right, Cas, I promise," she replied. Castiel had his serious Angel face on now. Gail still had no idea what this was all about, but he wouldn't be suggesting that they needed to see Crowley, of all people, if it wasn't vitally important. "We'll see him as soon as Bobby sends us out, then. And then you guys are going to tell me what this is all about," she said pointedly. If this was about her blade, and her powers, she was damn well going to be in the loop about it.

Cas's heart sank. Bobby obviously hadn't told her. "Bobby isn't sending us out together," he said miserably. "He's sending us all out individually. That's why it's vital that you see Crowley first. Tell him I sent you and tell him he needs to help you now." Castiel hated to be saying that, but it was true. He'd prefer to do it himself, but Castiel was not that strong at translating the ancient language, and he knew it. Gail needed the best translator they had, and unfortunately, that was Crowley. "Just go to the crossroads and think his name very loudly, and he'll come to you," Castiel continued. "That's something Originals can do with each other."

As Gail started to wonder about this latest black hole in her education, Cas tightened his grip on her. "And, don't forget, you can also do that with me. Any time you need me, I want you to call me, and I'll come to you immediately. Will you promise me that, too?"

Gail sighed. Yes, she promised. This was nuts. Bobby was sending them all out individually? Wouldn't they be stronger as a team? Then she got it, and her mouth dropped open. "We're supposed to be bait, aren't we? All of us. That's why we're being sent out there alone."

Cas frowned. She was astute. "Yes," he confirmed. "And that's why you have to know what you are capable of doing. Bobby has made it plain that he believes Lucifer will tip his hand to one of us."

Gail's stomach clenched. "So that's where my golden essence comes in. We're supposed to stand out to him."

Castiel continued to frown. He really didn't see why that would matter. The others were Angels, and he and Gail were Originals. Wasn't that beacon enough? What could her essence possibly have to do with anything? But they were all being given the Word, and they had to have faith that there was a reason for what they were being required to do. Otherwise, what was the point? But this was the hardest thing that Castiel had ever been asked to do. He was expected to let Gail do out there alone, to be bait for Lucifer, Metatron, or Aurielle? And now Castiel himself was sending her to go see Crowley alone. Was he crazy? What if his Brother decided to open up his big mouth and tell Gail everything? But he had to take that chance. Gail would need all the weapons she could get.

He leaned in and kissed her, and she kissed him back. Then she dropped her blade too, and her arms wrapped around him. His tongue parted her lips and went searching for hers. She gave it to him, and they kissed like that for a minute or three.

"We'd better get back in there," she breathed.

"Yes, we'd better," he said. So, of course, he kissed her again. But then he broke the kiss. That would have to be enough, for now.

Lucifer smiled as he watched the Angels kissing. Let Castiel have his fun, while he still could. In fact, Lucifer would let them have one last hot, steamy night before Lucifer took Gail; if they could set aside their Angelic duties long enough to indulge, that was. He would enjoy watching that, too. Not that he needed much help getting in the mood these days. Untold centuries of forced abstinence tended to do that to a person. Or whatever his particular breed of entity could be called right now.

None of them knew that he could see into the bunker, of course. As the Alpha Original, Lucifer had abilities that the others did not. And there was something else that none of them knew. Lucifer believed that he had the ability to enter the bunker, as well. Now that Brother Castiel was all holy again, Bobby had lifted the extra protections he'd had on the bunker to keep Demon Cas out. The standard ones were still in place, along with the ones that the Men of Letters had put there, and Bobby had thought that those were enough. They always had been. But Lucifer was Lucifer, and he was special. He would show them all just how special, when the time came.

But it was still early in the game, and there was so much more playing to be done. Matthew had given Bobby the instructions, and Bobby had been sucked right in, buying into the mystique of one of the original writers of the Gospels. But Matthew was Lucifer's, just as Mark and Luke were, and John had been, before John had been careless enough to turn his back on the witch in Crowley's den. Matthew had been Lucifer's mole in Heaven all those years, just as John had been his mole in Hell. And Luke was in the Netherworld, gathering intel there, just as Mark had been doing here on Earth. Soon, Lucifer would call on Mark to assist him here.

But he had to get himself set up, first. The wheels had already been set in motion, and Lucifer was sitting in the hotel suite now, awaiting further offerings. He had gone to the grounds of the local university and used the two-finger system on a large group of young people there, suggesting that they should obtain as much money as they could, by whatever means necessary, and bring it to him here at the hotel. He had already received a few visitors, and Lucifer sat back against the pillows on the bed as the young people had trooped in and dumped whatever money they had obtained into a large basket that Lucifer had conjured at the foot of the bed. He'd looked at Aurielle and grinned as the basket began to fill up. He'd need a lot of money for the start-up capital to fund his Ministry. But once it was established, the money would begin to roll in. In the meantime, the basket would do. It reminded him of the basket they passed around in church on Sundays, only it was much, much larger. This tickled him. If his Father could have lackeys to collect money for Him, why should Lucifer not utilize the same type of system?

Meanwhile, Aurielle had been floating around the suite like some sort of ghost. She had been letting their visitors in, making herself useful to him. But in-between deliveries, she had begun to badger him with questions, and she was starting to get on his nerves. When were they going to make contact with the Angels? How was his starting a Ministry on Earth going to help her with Castiel? What were Lucifer's plans for Gail? Where was Metatron? Was he going to help them?

Lucifer was starting to get a migraine. Her constant questioning was driving him nuts. He may have to cut her loose if she continued to pester him like this. But for now, he would give her a pass. He knew that Aurielle had led a very sheltered existence in Heaven, and she had been ill-treated by Chuck and Metatron; then later, by Jason. They all thought that she was crazy, but she seemed OK to Lucifer. He actually felt a little sorry for her. Aurielle had told him that she had been either minimalized or ignored for her entire existence. All she wanted was a chance to be herself, to show people what she could accomplish if she was allowed to shine. And yes, she wanted love. Why should she not have it? She may have been shy and plain all her life, but that didn't mean that she didn't have feelings.

That last statement had inexplicably softened Lucifer's black heart, and he had taken her over to the full-length mirror in the suite. "Look at yourself," he'd said to Aurielle. "Your vessel is beautiful. Not to mention stacked," he'd added, giving her a comic leer. Hey, he was planning to play a Minister on TV, he wasn't planning to actually become one. "Castiel would be crazy not to want to be with you. You're much more attractive than Gail now. I'd defile you myself if I didn't have plans to take her off Castiel's hands."

Aurielle had smiled at that. He was being so kind. It was perhaps indicative of the kind of pathetic existence she'd had this far that Aurielle was feeling that way towards the Devil himself. Or perhaps it was due to the fact that she was just crazy. But, whichever one it was, she was now very glad that she had come to Earth with Lucifer.

Lucifer had been glad at that moment, too. She was much better company than Metatron, and she was far more pleasant to look at, especially now. But he was the boss in this situation, not her, and if Lucifer had to remind her of that, he would. For the moment, though, when he'd had enough of her questioning, Lucifer had told her to dip both of her hands into the basket of money and go out shopping. Maybe buy a sexy new outfit, or some makeup. And, mercifully, she had gone. Peace and quiet, at last.

The deliveries had dried up for now, and so Lucifer locked the front door of the suite. If anyone else came, they would simply try again later. He waved his arm over the door, sealing it. Aurielle had her key, but this way, he would not be disturbed by the sounds of the university students' knocks. Of all of the Originals', Lucifer's power of suggestion was the strongest, and he had been at full power for quite some time now. None of the young people he had touched would stop stealing for him now until he touched them again and took it off. Buying your way to instant respectability did not come cheaply these days.

He flopped back onto the bed and closed his eyes, enjoying the softness of the pillows under his aching head. Maybe he'd try to take a nap before Aurielle got back. He'd never done that before, but he'd heard that it could be enjoyable. Sleep was one of the many Earthly experiences he'd wanted to try; now that he was among humans, Lucifer wanted to live as they lived. If he was going to minister to the people, he should find out what they did, and what was important to them. Once you got inside someone's head, it was easy to manipulate them, and to screw with them, if you chose. Lucifer had had success in this regard with Sam and Bobby. He had also briefly played with Gail, Dean and Castiel, when they had come to visit him. But he'd had almost no success with Crowley, and zero success with Metatron, even though he'd had lots of one-on-one time to work on the latter. So Lucifer had come to the conclusion that he could probably work wonders on humans whose intentions were inherently good, instead of evil. Evil individuals seemed to have a built-in mistrust of others, making them far less suggestible. He would need to recruit those types of individuals eventually, Lucifer knew, but this early in the game, it was all about the numbers. A shepherd needed a flock, didn't he? And once Lucifer accumulated a bit more money and bought his TV time, word would spread, and the rewards would be plentiful.

And the beauty of it all? None of his adversaries would know who he was. Castiel himself could bump into Lucifer on the street and his Brother would simply say Excuse Me and move on. No one would recognize the face that Lucifer wore now, and he had shielded himself from everyone, even the other Originals, and Bobby, too. Lucifer also had the ability to do this solo, and so did Metatron. But if the other Originals were to combine forces, they could also do the same, he knew; but unbelievably, they had not done so. Why? He could see all three of them clearly now, anytime he chose.

Crowley was currently in his office in Hell, calling in recruits to join those who were already topside. He had also gone to the torture chamber to authorize the release of the former board members. Upon discovering that Lucifer, Metatron and Aurielle were gone, Crowley had returned to the torture wing, enraged. What did Xavier, Lanister and Alexander know about that? But even though they had been tortured ever since, none of the former Angels had given anything else up, because they'd had nothing further to give. Last they knew, Aurielle was still trying to figure out the coded passage on the Demon Tablet. It wasn't too much of a stretch to assume that she had been unable to crack it, so Aurielle had ended up taking the Tablet to the Scribe for help. He'd written the damn thing, after all. And once Metatron had gotten his hands on the Tablet, he had used it to free them somehow. Crowley should have just destroyed the Tablet when he'd had the chance. In any event, he was now convinced that the former Angels knew nothing of any significance, so Crowley had released them back to their work detail.

Lucifer turned his eyes to Castiel and Gail now, who continued to train with the humans and the Angels. Castiel was working with young Kevin, who was now so much improved that he'd actually managed to cut Cas's arm once during their latest skirmish. Kevin stood, astonished, as Cas's blood began to flow, and then Kevin had smiled proudly. Castiel had shown no reaction, but despite the temporary pain in his arm, he had been happy. Not many individuals were able to touch Cas when he was truly fighting, and he'd been stepping up the level of challenge with Kevin. So had the other trainers, and all of the Angels had stepped up, also. The sparring had been fast and furious, and the trainees were as ready now as they would ever be.

Gail's hands were on Cas's arm, healing him, and now she smiled. "If I'm going to have additional powers, please let them be instant laundry," she quipped. "We're either going to have to quit getting stabbed or buy new clothes soon."

Cas didn't really feel like smiling at the thought of any of them being stabbed. Bobby would be back any time now, and he would be sending them all out there. He hoped the trainees would be prepared for what they might have to face. Even Cas himself had no idea what that might be. He tried to think like Lucifer. Where would Cas go, if he were Lucifer? What would he do? Cas honestly didn't know. What would be the first step you would take if you wanted to bring about Armageddon?

As Castiel thought about this, he noticed that Gail was suddenly frowning. "What's the matter?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully. "It's just...when I mentioned laundry..." She studied his face. "I saw myself doing our laundry, and then you came down the stairs to talk to me."

"What's unusual about that?" Cas said lightly. "If you want me to pitch in on some of the domestic chores, all you need to do is ask," he tried to joke.

But Gail shook her head, agitated now. "No, you don't get it. You came down some stairs. But we live in an apartment, Cas. We don't have any stairs. Our laundry room is on the same level as everything else. And so is the one at the bunker."

Cas froze. She was having a vision of them in the house. But she hadn't mentioned anything about their house, and he was hoping that it too had been wiped from her memory. But, how could she have forgotten about the house? Cas had built it for them the day that he had been God, before all of the bad things had even begun to happen.

Gail was looking into his eyes now, and her stare was penetrating. "What happened to the house, Cas?" she asked him quietly now. "And why don't I remember anything about it, except for the fact that it actually existed?"

"You know why, Gail," he said uncomfortably. "It was the stress. It played tricks on your mind."

"Don't tell me that stress made me forget all about the house," she said sharply. "I've been stressed out for most of my life, and I've never forgotten anything as big as that before. And why are the leaves changing colours outside? Last I remember, it was wintertime. What's going on, Cas?"

His blood ran cold. He had no idea what to say to her. Cas took her hands in his and she let him hold them, but she was still frowning. "Cas, what's going on?" Gail repeated. "I can see it in your face."

"Is everyone ready?" Bobby's voice, out of the blue. He had been watching the training session from Heaven, and he had been prepared to give them another hour or so. But then this had happened, and Cas was looking like a deer caught in the headlights. So Bobby had come down early, figuring he'd better bail Cas out.

Bobby strode to the centre of the room and everyone gathered around him. "Come on, you two," Bobby said to Gail and Cas. She shot Cas a look as they walked over to where the Angels and the humans stood.

Cas knew that look. Gail was telling him that their discussion wasn't over. Bobby had bailed him out for the time being, but Cas knew that Gail wasn't just going to let it go. And he didn't blame her; he wouldn't have, if he'd been in her position. But what could he tell her?

"I want to commend everyone in this room for all your hard work," Bobby was saying. "I'm here to give you your assignments." He looked at Frank and Jody. "Thanks for helping out, you two. I'm glad Gail brought you in. I don't want either of you to feel compelled to stay, but I've got assignments for both of you, if you want them."

"Of course I want an assignment," Frank said immediately. "We're here to defeat Lucifer, aren't we? There's nothing more important than that."

Bobby nodded, pleased by Frank's statement. "OK, Frank. Good. Welcome to the team. I've seen you fight, and I'd like you to go out in the field."

Frank thought about that for a moment. "Will do, Bobby. But I've gotta ask: what exactly is it that I'll be doing out in the field?"

Dean was grateful to Frank for his question. He'd been wondering that same thing.

Bobby was frowning. "There are a couple of things I'd like you to do, Frank." Bobby surveyed the assembled group, deciding. "And Dean, Ethan, and Chuck. Front and centre, please."

The men moved forward, and Bobby addressed the four of them. "I want you to keep an eye on the Demons," Bobby said. "I don't trust Crowley, and I don't trust them. He's sent out a few squads already, and he told me he's sending more out today."

"Should we start the pool now?" Frank quipped to Dean. "The guy who kills the most Demons eats and drinks for free." Dean grinned, and Frank looked at Chuck and Ethan. "Sorry, guys," he smirked, "but, let's face it, you would have had no chance against us, anyway."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Ethan retorted good-naturedly. "I used to be a cop, and Chuck's - "

"A bad-ass librarian?" Dean interrupted. Chuck looked at him, and Dean continued to grin. Good guy or not, Chuck deserved a little payback for all the b.s. he and his books had put the Winchesters through over the years. "What are you gonna do, Chuck? Hit them over the head with an encyclopedia?"

The other men laughed, but Chuck continued to look at Dean. The gibe had stung a little. Chuck had worked just as hard as any of them here, and he knew he'd improved exponentially as a result. "Hey, Bobby picked me to be on your squad, didn't he?" Chuck said irritably. "He must think I'm good enough for the job."

Gail had heard the hurt in Chuck's voice, and she said, "Don't mind them, Chuck. Frank doesn't play well with others, and Dean's just being an ass."

Chuck looked at her, grateful for her comment. She had teased him many times herself, but somehow it was harder for him to take that from the men. Maybe because Chuck felt like he had something to prove to these guys.

"All right, settle," Bobby said irascibly. "I didn't say to kill them. I just want you to keep an eye on them. If you have to kill any to protect humans, or yourselves, obviously you have the green light. But I gave Crowley my word that we wouldn't just run around killing them indiscriminately, and I expect you to honour that." He paused, then continued. "And there's another thing. I've been hearing rumours for quite a while now that a lot of Crowley's so-called minions aren't too happy with their King. So, if some of them decide to use the opportunity to defect, they might lead us right to Lucifer."

Castiel was impressed with Bobby's thought process. That might well be the case. "What about me?" Cas asked Bobby. "Shouldn't I be on their squad, too?" He had been tempted to add that he was Bobby's best fighter. Even though that was Pride; nevertheless, it was a fact.

But Bobby was shaking his head. "No, Cas. You're one of the Seven."

Cas frowned. "So are Chuck and Ethan."

What Cas was saying was totally reasonable, but Bobby frowned now, too. Who was the General here? Of course, Bobby might still be a little pissed off at Cas's earlier remark that it was easy for people who sat in offices, behind desks, to send soldiers off to war. No, it wasn't. Bobby's guts were churning. If he didn't have the ultimate responsibility of being God, Bobby would just pick up a weapon and join them himself. And if Cas thought that Bobby was just some pencil-neck paper-pushing wimp now, then maybe Cas needed a bit of a wake-up call.

"Are you an Angel, Cas?" Bobby asked him sharply.

Castiel looked at him, startled. What exactly did Bobby mean by that? "Yes, of course I am," he answered warily.

"Good," Bobby said crisply. "Cause last I heard, Angels were in the service of God. And last I looked, I was God."

Silence in the room. Sam almost smirked, but he decided he'd better not. Cas looked pretty pissed off now.

Gail pursed her lips. She'd thought that was kind of harsh. Cas had only been asking what, in her opinion, had been a very logical question. And she'd much rather he be out there with the other men than hanging out somewhere alone, being bait for Lucifer. But Bobby was the boss, and she'd better keep her trap shut for a change. She would have to talk to Bobby later, in private. It seemed like he was suddenly pissed off at Cas, and she had no idea why that would be.

But Cas had a pretty good idea. Bobby had retained his memories of Cas's Demon period, and Bobby was obviously still angry with him over everything that had happened. Castiel had known that there would be fallout, and that he had actually gotten off quite easily. But Bobby's ill temper was nothing compared to what Cas would have to face when he had to come clean with Gail. She was starting to regain some more memories on her own, even though it should have been impossible for her to do so. What would she remember next? And when would she remember it?

Lucifer was grinning now. He didn't know which little scene he had enjoyed more. Kevin's having stabbed Castiel had been the tasty little appetizer. Young Kevin would be easy pickings, of course, but Lucifer had liked seeing Castiel's moment of surprise and grimace of pain, all the same.

Then there had been Castiel's expression as Gail was quizzing him on her mysterious memory lapse. Well, it was mysterious to Gail, anyway. Lucifer knew all about it, and he thought it was funny as hell. Castiel had thought that their Father was giving him a helping hand by modifying everyone's memories like that, but of course, He'd only screwed Castiel further into the ground. Too many people still knew about it, and sooner or later, someone was going to blab, either intentionally or otherwise. Was this another of God's little games? Or was it just another lesson for Castiel? He'd had a lot of them over the years, but he was apparently a very poor student. It had been fun to observe the panicked look on his face as the wheels spun in his mind, trying to crank out a believable story for Gail to swallow.

But then Bobby had come in and spoiled things. Too bad. Lucifer could wait, though. He was only shuffling the cards right now and picking out his own hand. There was still lots of time left to play the game.

Bobby's rebuke of Castiel, in front of everyone, had been the sweet dessert at the end of the meal. Lucifer knew Bobby very well from their time as roommates, and he knew that Bobby could get cranky at times when his buttons were pushed. Lucifer hadn't watched any of Bobby's briefings with the Angels, so he hadn't seen the terse exchange between God and his lieutenant. But Castiel had always thought that he knew better than anyone else how things should be, hadn't he? Well, Bobby obviously didn't think that was necessarily so, and he wasn't shy about expressing his opinion. Lucifer smiled. He knew he'd liked Bobby for a reason. Even though he had taken Bobby's sanity. But Lucifer bore no ill will towards Bobby. He had just done it for the pure entertainment, at the time.

But there was a lot of entertainment to be had right now, and Lucifer was going to soak it up like a sponge. All those emotions, all those complicated relationships. He simply didn't know where to start.

There were only a couple of wild cards in the deck, and if they came out at the wrong time, they could definitely throw him off his game. The biggest one was Metatron, of course. He had shielded himself from everyone, and Lucifer had no idea where he was, or what he was doing. If he showed up suddenly, before Lucifer put his finger on the first domino, things might get a little dicey. Where was Metatron, anyway?

Metatron was hunched over his computer, typing furiously. After a somewhat laboured beginning, the words had started to flow out of his brain and through his fingertips, and the story was practically writing itself at this point.

He was telling the true story of God, and Angels, and Demons, and how sometimes the lines were extremely blurred between the two factions. Metatron had intended to start at the time of Creation, but once he'd finished the Prologue, he decided that wasn't the way to go if he hoped to be a hit online. No one in modern times wanted to read about that old-time crap. Creation had happened way too long ago to even be considered retro, and there were way too many things out there clamouring for people's attention these days. So Metatron had changed his style, and he had begun to write about his daring escape from Heaven's prison instead, and the events which had followed. Everyone liked a good suspense novel, didn't they? And, as much as he had been sorely tempted to depict himself as the hero of his opus, everyone knew that evil didn't play, or if it did, it didn't do so for long. If Metatron wanted a large readership, which he realized that he did, he knew he had no choice but to make himself out to be the bad guy, and the Winchesters and the Angels would have to be the heroes of his masterpiece. All the fangirls would go nuts when he wrote about Cas and Gail, and all the tragedy they had endured on the way to their love story. Metatron had also decided to couch his books in the comforting cushions of a fan fiction website, and he had one all ready to post on, when he finished the first couple of installments of his series. There were about a million stories on there already, but Metatron was confident that his would stand out. He had actually mocked fans of the Supernatural book and TV series in the past, but now Metatron was thinking he'd been small and narrow-minded in his thought process. They knew what they were talking about, more often than not, when it came to the lore. And if a plot was unbelievable, they would call that particular author on it. He couldn't wait to see how they would react to the pure, unvarnished truth.

It was funny, though. As Metatron wrote about his escape from Heaven's prison and his subsequent crimes here on Earth, he realized he had really been a pretty bad guy. He had killed a number of humans in Texas solely to get Castiel's attention, and he had killed Sam and Dean in Dallas just because...well, just because he could. He was coming off like a real monster here. But if he was going to tell the full story, as it really happened, Metatron had to be honest, didn't he? He was sure that once the readers learned that Gail had driven a knife into him and sent him to Hell to be tortured, he would come off as a more sympathetic character.

He'd hardly spared a thought for Lucifer or Aurielle. Metatron was a bit curious about where the two of them were now and what they were doing, but now that he felt like he'd found his true calling, Metatron had become obsessed. He'd had to rob a few more humans out of necessity, so that he could buy the laptop he was composing on and pay for the roof over his head, but he had not killed anyone. Authors did not wound with weapons; they used well-turned phrases to make others feel, and to think. He was interested in a higher plane of existence now.

The story was achieving its own natural flow now, and Metatron was the happiest and most serene he'd been in centuries. The only dilemma he had at the moment was the choice of a pseudonym under which to publish. He'd secretly always hated his own name, and he would be stupid to publish under it anyway. Sam Winchester was a little too handy with a computer, and although Metatron sincerely doubted that Sammy was into Supernatural fan fiction, one never knew. So, what should he call himself?

Oh well, he was sure it would come to him eventually. He had just started to write about the part where he had been tortured by Crowley in Hell, and Metatron was sure that his character would garner a lot of sympathy at that point in the story. That way, when they read about his subsequent actions, they would understand that he was not truly evil, just marginalized, and misunderstood. Sam and Dean were the handsome leading men, and Castiel and Gail were the beautiful but tragic lovers, and even Crowley and Chuck would have their big, heroic moments. But where was the love for Metatron? He saw himself as a tragic figure, too. Heaven's outcast. He had never really been welcome anywhere, and no team had ever picked him to be on their side. He would never rule anything, and he would never be a dashing hero. How could you not feel sympathy for a guy like that?

Everyone had been given their assignments now, and the Demon Squad, as they had dubbed themselves, were armed and ready to roll.

Gail gave Dean a hug and a kiss. "You and Frank take care of everyone out there, OK?" she said to him softly. Ethan and Chuck were talking with Frank, Bobby and Cas, but she wanted to make sure that Chuck didn't overhear them. "Watch Chuck's back, will you, Dean? I know you like to give him grief, but he's a good guy."

Dean shrugged. "Yeah, I will, Gail. You know I'm only joking around. It's what I do."

Gail nodded. She knew. She went over to her brother then, who opened his arms for a hug.

"I'm not going to tell you to be careful, cause you'll only get mad at me," she said to him, putting her arms around him.

Frank smiled briefly, but then he frowned. "It's you I'm worried about," he told her, pulling out of the embrace. He looked at Bobby. "Do you really have to send her out there by herself? If she can't go with us, can't you send Cas with her, at least?"

"Sorry, Frank, but we've been over this," Bobby said firmly. He was getting a little sick of everyone questioning him, especially since he was so busy questioning himself. But Bobby and Matthew had gone over Revelation together, and the roster of Angels and humans that Bobby had at his disposal, and Matthew had given him this game plan to follow. Normally, Bobby would have made his own decisions about the assignments, but Matthew had been just enigmatic enough to convince Bobby that he knew what he was talking about. And he'd said that this was the way it was supposed to be. But Bobby also found it a bit strange, too. Why send four of your strongest out together to babysit a bunch of Demons, and then deploy the other Angels to different cities in America to sit and wait for Lucifer to...do what? Kill them? Kidnap them? Presumably, the latter. Once Lucifer made his move, they would at least have some indication of where he was, what he looked like, and what his intentions were. Or at least that was the idea, anyway.

Kevin was shaking hands with Ethan and Chuck. He was disappointed to be the only Musketeer not going along with the group, but in a way, what he was supposed to do was more important. He felt very apprehensive, though. Would the three of them ever see each other again? Or, more accurately, would THEY ever see HIM again? Bobby had told Kevin, his Mom, Cas and Gail that he was sending each of them to a different city in the States, and each of them was supposed to use their new Earth name but make themselves very visible. So, they were going out there to be bait. Now Kevin was very grateful that Becky was going to be held back. But he admitted to himself that he was scared shitless. Though his fighting skills had improved under Cas's tutelage, Kevin seriously doubted that Lucifer was going to be super-impressed.

As they were all saying their goodbyes, Jody was glaring at Bobby, who was deliberately avoiding her gaze. She had requested to be out in the field, but Bobby had somewhat inexplicably asked her to stay here in the bunker, to help Sam and Becky do research. Jody was a Sheriff, with loads of experience fighting different creatures with a variety of different kinds of weapons. And Bobby wanted her to stick around the bunker and be Sam's research assistant? Jody liked Sam, but her talents would be wasted here. And she had taken a leave of absence from work for this, too. Jody was with Frank on this one; finding and eradicating Lucifer from the Earth had to be Job One. Metatron and Aurielle had to be apprehended too, of course, but Bobby had advised that Lucifer planned to start Armageddon here on Earth, so he was definitely the priority. Actually, most of the assignments puzzled her, though. She certainly would have deployed them all differently. If Jody didn't know better, she would almost swear that sexism was in play here. She should be on the Demon Squad. But Jody knew Bobby well, and he had always treated her as an equal. And Gail and Linda were being sent out on their own, weren't they?

"It's time, Gail," Bobby announced.

Gail gave Frank one more hug and then came over to where Bobby stood. "Okay, Bobby. What do you want me to do?"

"You're supposed to confer your essence on the other six Angels," he responded.

"How about we try that in English?" she quipped.

Bobby's beard twitched. "Touch each of them," he said. "Once you see the glow, you can let go."

"We'd better put Cas in the back of the line, then, or we'll never get out of here," Chuck joked. Everyone laughed, and Gail smiled at Chuck. She really liked him now, and she was really glad he was on their side now.

"Careful, Chuck," Gail retorted good-naturedly. "Bobby only said I had to touch you; he didn't say how hard."

Chuck laughed. He liked Gail a lot. Too bad Cas had gotten there first. He approached her. "Touch away," he told Gail.

On impulse, she reached up and touched his face, then brought his head down to her lips and kissed him on the forehead. "Don't ever change, Chuck," she said, and the golden glow began to emanate from her hands, lighting his face for a moment. Then it faded, and then it disappeared.

"Cool," Gail breathed, prompting another laugh from the group.

Chuck straightened up. "I don't feel any different," he remarked.

"You should be way smarter now," Sam said, grinning. Gail flashed him a smile.

"I don't know what that's supposed to do, to be honest," Bobby said soberly. He'd enjoyed the exchanges, too, but he was feeling the weight of the responsibility for everyone's well-being on his shoulders now. And once again, he was flying blind. Revelation stated that the Seven Angels were supposed to have the Seven Candlesticks, which they had interpreted to mean Gail's golden essence, and Matthew had confirmed that their interpretation was correct. But no one knew what Gail's golden essence was supposed to actually do for each Angel, and not even Matthew himself had been able to say. All he knew was that it had been foretold, and so it had to be.

Then the other Angels came forward to receive the essence from Gail, and she hugged each one of them in turn, repeating the process. As Chuck had joked, Cas came to her last, and Gail smiled up at him. "I think we might have to tweak the delivery system here just a little," she said, raising an eyebrow to him. He answered her smile with one of his own. Cas knew what she was doing. Gail was trying to keep things light, to bolster everyone's morale. So he would play along. He looked at Bobby and said, "Don't worry, Bobby. We'll keep it clean."

"Well, only because we have such a holy audience," Gail added, smiling. Bobby realized what they were doing. Their friends were all smiling now, and the Angels looked a lot more relaxed than they had looked a few minutes ago.

"It'll only be a holy audience if Sam and Dean leave the room," Bobby quipped, and everyone laughed again.

Then Cas put his arms around Gail and she kissed him on the lips, touching his face with both hands. The golden glow came out of her hands and lit up Cas's face for a moment, and then it faded.

Cas broke the kiss, and then he looked at Bobby, pretending to frown. "Sorry, Bobby, I don't think it worked," he said, and he kissed Gail again as the Angels laughed.

"All right, you two, settle down," Bobby said, but he was smiling. Those two. They drove him nuts, but he would take this all day long over how things had been just recently. All damn day long.

The Demon Squad had left the bunker now, and Bobby was talking with Cas, Gail, Kevin and Linda.

"Cas, you're going to Seattle," Bobby told him. "Linda: New York City. Kevin: Indianapolis. And, Gail..." Bobby hesitated a moment.

"Yes, Bobby?" Gail prompted him.

"You're going to Las Vegas," he told her, wincing inwardly as he said it. Of all places to send her by herself.

Linda was impassive, but Kevin actually did wince. His mother hadn't been around at the time, but Kevin had, and he was acutely aware that Metatron had murdered Gail in Las Vegas. Was Bobby crazy, or just mean?

Predictably enough, Cas lost it. "How can you send her there alone, with Metatron on the loose?" he shouted. "What's wrong with you, Bobby? It's not bad enough that you're sending her out there to be bait for Lucifer, but you're sending her to the very place where Metatron killed her before? Are you trying to punish me for - " His mouth snapped shut. He'd been about to ask Bobby if he was trying to punish him for having been a Demon recently. But that would make no sense. It was Cas alone who should be punished for that; though Gail had also had Demon blood in her at the time, she had done nothing wrong. It was Cas who had been the monster. How could Bobby do this to her?

Gail was also stunned, but she wasn't as angry as Cas was. While she was a little freaked out by the idea of returning to the scene of the crime, as it were, she reasoned that she would feel no more exposed there than she would anywhere else. What she did wonder about, however, was why Cas would say what he had just said.

"Punish you? For what?" she asked Cas, puzzled.

"Nothing. Never mind," he said shortly, still glaring at Bobby.

Kevin and Linda exchanged glances. Neither of them knew what was going on here, all of a sudden. Chuck had confided to Kevin in very vague terms about the fact that Cas and Gail had had a hiccup in their relationship, but Kevin had been under the impression that everything was fine now. So why all the tension, then? Well, aside from the obvious Lucifer being loose on the Earth thing, that was.

Now Gail was starting to get a little mad. Every time Cas said something strange like that and she tried to ask him about it, he just shut down. If what he'd said had something to do with her memory loss, shouldn't he be helping her to remember, rather than avoiding the subject?

Bobby cleared his throat. Frankly, he was getting sick of bailing Cas out. But there was a much bigger situation here than Cas's domestic issues, and Bobby was determined to keep everyone focused on that. "Kevin, Gail," he said. "Please report to my office immediately. Laurel has an envelope for each of you with further instructions." He turned to Cas and Linda, but he was looking at Cas. "I'll send you two after."

Cas got it. Bobby was separating him and Gail now, realizing that Gail would continue to interrogate Cas if they were together. But, then what? What about the next time they were together, and the next? Castiel could almost hear his Father, laughing all the way from wherever He was in the universe. Careful what you wish for, Cas. Maybe this was his actual punishment; having to live on pins and needles for the rest of his existence, just dreading the day the big secret was finally going to come out.

"Then what?" Gail was asking Bobby. "Do we come back here?"

"No, you go right from there," Bobby replied.

Her face fell. "Don't we at least get to say goodbye?"

And, there were the doe eyes that Dean had mentioned. Bobby was stern, trying to resist them. "I want everyone in position by the end of the day, Gail," he told her. "The sooner, the better."

She looked at Cas, then looked at Bobby again. Her eyes got even bigger, and they started to shine, almost as if she were going to start crying. How did she do that? And why was Bobby falling for it?

Bobby sighed. "All right, Gail. Five minutes. Starting now."

She rushed to Cas and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the hallway.

"Five minutes isn't nearly enough time for the conversation we have to have," Gail said to him.

"You're right. It isn't," he responded. He leaned down and kissed her. "So, what do you say we just do this instead?" Now he was kissing her just to keep her quiet. But he knew this little trick wouldn't work forever. The next time they were together for longer than five minutes, she was going to demand some answers. He couldn't just keep kissing her every time she wanted to talk to him. Then again, who was he kidding? Of course he could. Whether he should, was another matter. Or whether she would let him. But the clock was ticking right now.

His arms were around her, and she was kissing him back. Gail really wanted a good long conversation with him, but she also knew that now was not the time for it. They were about to be ripped apart, dangled as bait for the most evil being who had ever existed.

"Please don't forget my request," Cas said softly. "Go see Crowley before you go to Las Vegas. Please."

Gail frowned. She didn't want to be thinking about Crowley right now. But she had promised, and it seemed really important to Cas that she go. If she could find out something about her powers that would help her stay safe, she owed it to herself and to Cas to do it.

"OK, Cas, I will," Gail told him. He kissed her again, and she opened her mouth to him this time. His arms tightened around her as their tongues met. They continued to kiss that way until Bobby called out, "Time's up. Let's go, you two."

Gail touched Cas's face. "I guess he's serious," she said with a half-smile.

"I love you, Gail," Cas said softly. "Please, be safe. And, remember, if you need me for anything, just think my name. I'll come to you immediately."

"Well then, you might as well just move in wherever I'll be, cause I think about you all the time," Gail replied.

"Don't make me come out there." Bobby's voice, and he sounded a little more on edge now.

"Crap. We'd better go, before we get in trouble," Gail said, and then Cas gave her one more kiss, a long, slow one that made her weak at the knees. Boy, would they have to spend some time alone together when this was all over. And conversation had just slipped to second place on her list of priorities when that were to happen.

They came out to the library area, hand in hand. Gail let go of Cas and went to Sam, who rose from his seat at the library table and enveloped her in a big bear hug.

"Take care of yourself out there," Sam told her.

"I will," Gail responded. They hugged for a moment, then Sam stuck his hand out for Cas to shake. "You too," Sam told Cas. "I want you both back here, together, in one piece." Then he pulled Cas in for a hug.

Tears sprang to Cas's eyes. Not so long ago, Sam hated him. Now Sam was hugging him and wishing him well. Not to mention how warm and loving Gail was with him now. How could he even be thinking about negating all the goodwill that his Father had restored with the reset? And this wasn't just for his own benefit. They were all happy now too, weren't they?

"Thank you, Sam," Cas said to his friend. "We'll see you soon, I'm sure." In fact, he wasn't sure at all. But that was what you said in this type of situation, wasn't it?

"Of course you will," Sam said, responding in kind.

Cas and Gail said their goodbyes to Jody and Becky, and then they came back to where Bobby, Kevin and Linda were standing. "OK, Bobby. I'm ready," Gail said. She re-took Cas's hand, giving it one more squeeze, and then she let go and took Kevin's hand, winking them both to Heaven.

The instant Gail left with Kevin, Cas glared at Bobby once again. "What's this all about, Bobby?" he said sharply.

Bobby looked at him coolly. "What do you mean?"

Cas frowned. "You know very well what I mean. Sending Gail alone to Las Vegas? That's not a coincidence. You could have sent me there, or Linda, or Kevin. Is she to be bait for Metatron?"

Bobby was a little uncomfortable now. Cas was too smart for his own good. After setting up the assignments with Matthew, Bobby had actually switched Gail and Kevin around. Matthew had had Kevin going to Vegas, and Gail to Indianapolis. But after Bobby had left Matthew's suite, he had reconsidered. Kevin was young, and he looked a little too young to be hanging around in Vegas. It was Lucifer whose attention they were trying to attract, or Metatron's, or Aurielle's, not casino security's. And Kevin was just a little too easily distracted when it came to certain Earthly pleasures. Bobby thought it would be a dumb idea to plunk him down in the middle of Sin City. The sight of the showgirls alone might incapacitate Kevin. So Bobby had switched the two of them. And yes, he could have sent Cas there instead, or Linda. But Bobby had an ulterior motive. He did indeed want Metatron to go after Gail.

"What do YOU think, Cas?" Bobby said evenly.

"I think you've forgotten how to be compassionate," Cas shot back.

"Really? You do, do you?" Bobby said angrily. "Well, Gail's a soldier. Same as you, same as anyone. I didn't hear her complaining about her assignment. You need to worry about doing your job and stop trying to do mine." Cas's eyes flashed bright blue, and Bobby thought the hook was in far enough. But just in case, he added, "And I'd better not see you anywhere around Vegas. Your assignment is Seattle. Period."

Cas was so angry now he didn't know what to do with himself. What was wrong with Bobby? Well, if Bobby thought that Cas was going to stay away from Gail if she needed him, Bobby was delusional. Or, to use an idiom of Dean's, Bobby could go screw himself.

Bobby heard all of this in Cas's mind, and he almost grinned. But he needed to maintain the act, or Cas might not do what Bobby expected him to do. Which was the exact opposite of what Bobby was telling him to do, of course. Bobby kept his face stern. "Cas, Linda, go to my office and get your assignments now," Bobby instructed them. Laurel had given him the all clear via Angel Radio that Gail and Kevin were gone.

Cas stood frozen to the spot. So, that was it? That was all Bobby had to say on the subject? Fine, then. Cas would decide for himself if and when the time came where the right place was for him to be.

Linda elbowed him. "Let's go, Cas," she said briskly. She grabbed his arm and they winked out of the bunker.

As soon as Cas and Linda were gone, Bobby's face broke into the grin he'd been suppressing.

Sam looked at him, puzzled. "What was that all about? Why are you smiling?" Now he was sure that Bobby had to have some sort of an agenda. Sam had been on Cas's side; he'd thought it was extremely insensitive of Bobby to send Gail back to the place where Metatron had stabbed her to death. But Bobby wasn't that type of man. So what was he doing?

Bobby thought for a minute. There were only Sam, Jody and Becky left here. "I'll tell you," he said, "if you promise not to tell anybody."

"Sure, Bobby, we promise," Sam said lightly. "Right, ladies?"

Becky nodded, and so did Jody, but Jody was smirking. She knew her Sam well, and she could just bet that he had his fingers crossed under the table.

Bobby knew that Sam was fibbing, of course. If Sammy thought the situation warranted it, he wouldn't hesitate to call Dean and tell him what Bobby was about to divulge.

"OK," Bobby said. "My source told me that Lucifer will be in Las Vegas. That's why I sent Gail there. He'll pick up on her, because of that radar thing that Originals have. She'll send the SOS to Cas, and if he's not there already - " Bobby flashed them a grin " - he'll be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail. The two of them should be able to handle him, but if they need backup, the Demon Squad will be on standby." Bobby looked Jody in the eye. "That's why I sent two Angels with two humans. Chuck and Ethan can transport Frank and Dean anywhere, at a moment's notice. That's why I didn't send you, Jody. One ordinary Angel can't transport three humans at once."

Bobby looked back at Sam. "As soon as I leave here, you'll call Dean, even though I told you not to. And you'll tell him to tell Chuck to keep his ears on. If a call comes in on Angel Radio from Gail for help, she'll have an army at her disposal in seconds."

Sam was impressed, but he was also puzzled. "Why the subterfuge, Bobby?" he asked.

"Now that, I can't tell you," Bobby replied. And he had his reasons. The mysterious source had been Matthew himself, but when Bobby had asked him how he could possibly know what he claimed to know, Matthew had been extremely evasive. Bobby knew that was the way that most of those old-school Angels spoke. Look at the way that Cas used to be. But Bobby didn't completely trust Matthew. Bobby wanted to find out if Matthew was being straight with him. So he had walked away from Matthew's suite in Heaven deep in thought, and then he had decided to switch Kevin and Gail, and then to set up the contingency plan. If Lucifer went for Gail, she had her extra powers, and all the backup that Bobby could arrange for her. But Matthew would be left with the impression that it was young Kevin who was going to be in Las Vegas. If Lucifer showed up to take Kevin, not only would he be in for a surprise, but so would Matthew. Bobby had been a canny individual in life, and his mind played all the angles. If Matthew had knowledge of Lucifer's movements, exactly how did he come by that knowledge, and why would he not tell the reigning God about it? Maybe Bobby had watched too many spy movies in life, but he wanted to see if there was a mole in the organization. The only reason he had trusted in Matthew's advice thus far was because Cas seemed pretty well acquainted with the guy. But people weren't always what they seemed, even Angels. Maybe especially Angels. Look at the ones they were trying to find right now.

So Bobby said goodbye to Sam and the two women and went back up to Heaven, where he would wait to see what happened next.


	4. Cat Of Nine Tails

Rowena packed her bag and brought it to the front door of the cottage. Then she looked back. She had enjoyed staying here, for a short time. The cottage still stood, after all those centuries. Unbelievable. Dunkirk was a very old town, and the people in this village lived very simply. Rowena had wanted to be in a quiet place where she could relax and think about her next move, and what better place than the home she used to have centuries ago? She had raised Fergus here, until she'd felt the yoke of motherhood tighten around her neck. Rowena had always been the independent sort, and the rigours of life as a single mother had proved to be too much for her. She'd thought she could have her own life, and that her son could pretty much take care of himself. But things hadn't turned out like that. Fergus had been whiny and needy, and when she'd gone out at night, doing what she needed to do, he cried all night, and her neighbours had complained to her about it. She'd tried staying at home for a while then, working on perfecting her spells and recording every successful one in her book. But little Fergus still wouldn't leave her alone, constantly clamouring for her attention. And a woman had needs. So she'd begun going out at night again, drinking down at the local and occasionally going home with one of the townsmen. Rowena didn't consider herself loose, but she did like to have a good time, and a nice long session in bed invigorated her. Fergus himself had been conceived at an orgy. That was the only time that Rowena had let herself get caught like that, and if she had known who her son's father was, she would have just taken him to whoever was responsible and left him on that man's doorstep. Just because women had the parts that were required to conceive and bear children, that didn't mean that they should be stuck with the obligation for the rest of their lives, did it?

Still, she had soldiered on for as long as she could. When Fergus was a wee baby, she'd felt a little bit sorry for him. He didn't ask to be brought into the world and into this type of situation, after all. And at that point, she'd still had high hopes that her son might grow into a quality man, one she might be able to mentor and share her secrets with. But when Fergus had gotten a little older, Rowena could see that he was never going to amount to anything. He was too sensitive, too wishy-washy. He'd bungled even the simplest of spells she'd tried to show him, and he hadn't even seemed to care. The other children in the town would make fun of him and he would come home crying, expecting her to wipe his tears and coddle him. She'd tried to tell him that he should stand up to them, or better still, take his revenge, but it seemed as if he was incapable of doing either, or even of thinking that way. So she'd given up on him. Once she had even tried to sell him, but there had been no takers. And Rowena had been getting tired of sitting around in this rustic little cottage. She was young, beautiful and vibrant. She was wasting her life here, and she was wasting her time. There were ladies in town who had much bigger houses, and they wore the most gorgeous clothes and seemed to have the best of everything. That was the kind of life for her. A woman with her talents shouldn't be left hanging on the vine.

So she had packed her bag and left the cottage one night, leaving Fergus to fend for himself. Maybe he would benefit from her absence. He could learn how to do things on his own, and maybe he would learn how to stand on his own two feet. In the meantime, Rowena intended to live her life to the fullest.

She had gone down to the pub and made the acquaintance of the mayor, and she had become his mistress for a while. He had showered her with gifts just to keep her, and when Rowena had had enough of his demands in bed, she had left Dunkirk, her bag weighed down with the jewels he had given her. And she'd never looked back.

But once she'd left the bunker after Gail and Castiel were cured, Rowena had been feeling a little nostalgic, so she'd come back to Dunkirk. It was a lot bigger than she'd remembered, of course, but this part of town had remained virtually unchanged. She supposed it would be considered a slum by the modern days' standards, but the simple life appealed to her now. So she had cursed the cottage's occupants and moved them out, and she had been living there ever since.

But one day, she had been sitting outside looking at the stars and enjoying the late summer weather when all of a sudden, the sky had darkened. Then rain began to fall, then sleet, and there had been thunder and lightning. Frogs had fallen from the clouds, and when they'd reached the ground, they had hopped funnily for a while and then died. Rowena had observed all of this, curious. Then she had heard a man's booming laugh in the thunder. That had really gotten her attention. Something was going on here, something big. Was this what she had been waiting for?

Rowena had gone back into the cottage and built a fire. Then she had thrown one of her hex bags into the flames and listened for her son's voice. He must have been in Hell because she couldn't see him, only hear him. But what she'd heard was enough. Lucifer was freed from his cage, and Crowley was extremely concerned about this fact. Rowena could just bet that he was. If anyone would be a worthy adversary for her son, it would be Lucifer. Rowena had started to smile. So, her son was about to have a real contest on his hands. It was about time. There had been a time when Rowena had thought she might like to take Hell away from him, but now she realized she had not been aiming that high. If one were to rule anyplace, the Earth would be far more preferable. Maybe that should be her new goal. She had been living the simple life for long enough. Rowena really wasn't a country girl at heart. She deserved to be in a mansion, or in a five-star hotel. In the lap of luxury and being waited on hand and foot, preferably by fine-looking young men. Like Sam and Dean. Even Castiel, if he could keep his holier-than-thou opinions to himself. Demon Cas would have been ideal for her purposes, if he hadn't been so overbearing. Rowena intended to be on top in any relationship she might choose to embark on. Bobby hadn't minded her in that position, she thought with a smile. She had cared for Bobby the most of any man she'd ever been with, so much so that she had performed the marriage ritual that night when they had both been in their cups. But it could never really have lasted. Bobby had been too good at heart, and Rowena would never have been able to get away with most of the things she did if she had stayed with him. And now, her Bobby was God. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum.

After a time, Rowena had taken out the makeup mirror she carried wherever she went and waved her hand over it. She had surreptitiously enchanted the mirror over the bunker's fireplace when she had been left to her own devices as they'd waited out the cure. She now had a window into the place, just as she'd had when she had been in the den with her son after having infected the occupants with the Sins. So Rowena had seen the summit meeting between Bobby, Crowley, the Angels and the Winchesters. Interesting stuff. Lucifer was here on Earth somewhere, apparently about to unleash Armageddon.

This sounded like something that Rowena could be a part of, or at least, could benefit from. Moreover, it sounded like it could be exciting. She had been languishing again, when she should be out there, making things happen.

She picked up her bag and left the cottage, and this time she did not look back.

Gail stood at the crossroads and thought Crowley's name, as Cas had told her to do. And he came, just like that.

"So it does work," she said, astonished.

"What, you're thinking my name?" he said, amused. "Yes, any Original can summon another that way. Unless we're blocked from the others, that is," he added hastily, anticipating her question.

And Crowley was right; she had been about to ask why, if that was the case, one of them could not just call up Lucifer, or Metatron. It would certainly save a lot of time and trouble if they could just do that. Not that they would be compelled to come, of course. But, still.

"Where's Castiel?" Crowley asked, looking around warily.

"Bobby's sending us all out individually," Gail answered. "Cas did ask me to come here and talk to you first, though." She went to the sheath she had on her hip and took out her Angel blade. "He wanted me to show you this."

Crowley's eyebrows shot up. "Really?" he asked, surprised.

Gail misunderstood his expression. "I'm not here to start anything," she assured him. "He asked me to show you the markings on it. He said you could tell me what other additional powers I might have." She stepped forward. "But I don't have very long. Bobby expects us all to be where he's sending us, and I don't think he should know I came here first. He probably wouldn't like it."

Crowley smiled. No, he probably wouldn't. So, Castiel had sent her here, had he? His Brother must really be worried about her safety, then. But who could blame him? Lucifer could appear in front of Gail at any moment, and even if he had stayed in his original vessel, which Crowley highly doubted that he had, she wouldn't even recognize him. Was Bobby crazy? Additional powers or not, Gail would be no match for Lucifer all by herself. And the other Angels? Lambs to the slaughter. Castiel was the only one who would even stand a chance, but if Lucifer got into his Brother's head, it would be all over. Lucifer would play with Castiel as if he were a shiny new toy. But at least he'd had the good sense to send Gail to Crowley first. But why had Castiel not educated her himself? Too busy using and abusing her body to enrich her mind, Crowley supposed.

He reached out his hand. "Give it here, then. Let's have a look."

Gail studied Crowley's face for a moment. Was she really just going to hand her blade to the King of Hell? A blade he could use to kill her, but that would hardly inflict a scratch on him?

He saw the look on her face, and his smile widened. He couldn't blame her for what she was thinking. She'd be a fool not to consider that. They were here alone. He could kill her in the blink of an eye.

"Do you trust Castiel?" Crowley asked her softly.

"Yes, of course I do," she answered automatically.

"Well then, I guess you'll have to trust me, too," he said. "He sent you to me, didn't he?"

Gail considered this. It was true. Cas had practically begged her to do this. She handed the blade to Crowley.

He took it, then looked up at her. "You can take a couple of steps back, if you like," he told her, smirking. She didn't, but she continued to watch him intently.

Crowley looked down at the blade. "I don't know how much time you have, but I can tell you what I see," he said to her. "Some of these words are difficult, though, even for me. Obscure. A few of them may require further study."

"I don't have that kind of time," Gail said nervously. "Can you just give me the highlights for now? Is there anything there that'll help me fight Lucifer? Or defend myself from any of them, at least?"

"Well, there's your ability to compel animals to attack, of course," Crowley said casually. "That may come in handy sometime."

But Gail was puzzled. "What?"

Crowley eyed her. He knew he was expected to dance between the raindrops here, but he'd thought she would remember that.

"The hawk? Trying to peck Metatron's eyes out?" he prompted.

Gail nodded. Of course. Her hand had shot a gold beam of light into the sky towards a hawk, which had dive-bombed Metatron outside the bunker, causing him to drop the Demon Tablet. "I do remember that," she said to Crowley. "I suspected that might have been me, but I wasn't sure. I was going to ask Castiel about it, but then we were kidnapped and taken to the cabin."

"Well, it's right here," Crowley said, tapping the hilt of the blade with his finger.

Gail moved forward, her fear set aside. If he wanted to kill her, he probably would have done it by now. And she really wanted to see. "Where?" she asked.

Her head was next to his now, and Crowley was reminded of the times that she and Castiel had stood with him in the warehouse, comparing the markings on their blades. But this occasion was much more pleasant, as Castiel was nowhere to be seen.

Crowley showed her the markings which denoted that particular power. Then his finger shifted. "And here's your ability to heal, and this section is your ability to send beings to other places."

"Beings?" she echoed, thinking of the time that she sent Sam and Dean away from Jason. "Do you mean humans?"

Crowley frowned in concentration. When he'd looked at it before, he'd read the word that way. But upon closer examination, he was now changing his mind. "No, I'm almost certain it says 'beings'. Or it could be 'certain beings'. The term used is very arcane. That's one of those things that will warrant further study."

Gail tilted her head. Great. Well, it wasn't as if she didn't already know about that ability she had. But if it applied to any entities other than humans, she supposed she should know about it. Maybe she could send Lucifer or Metatron to Mars when they came for her.

Crowley continued to scan the markings, and his eyes widened. He couldn't be reading this one right.

Gail saw the look on his face. "What?" she asked.

"You apparently have the ability to perform magic spells," Crowley said, astonished. Why on earth would their Father have ever given her that ability? Angels doing magic spells? Had God been trying to be funny with that one? Their Father was a little too enamoured of His own sense of humour sometimes. He had given Crowley the ability to dry up or part waters, and the ability to speak any foreign language, but not to understand it. Yeah, God was a scream. And He had given Metatron the power to change water into wine. Well, since God's own Son had disappeared into the void, Crowley supposed that someone should be able to do it. What about if you were having a big dinner party, and you ran out? But, in that capricious way that He had, God had given this ability to one of the most objectionable individuals in Creation. If Metatron could scare up so many people who were willing to eat with him that he would need more wine, Crowley would be extremely surprised. But, such was his Father.

But now that Crowley thought more about this, he started to do the slow burn. Damn Castiel. If he had allowed Gail and Crowley to go over her blade prior to this, he might have seen that she had that ability. And if they had known that, she might never have had to revive his mother to perform the spell for the cure. Mind, Rowena had claimed that the last of the ingredients was a lock of her hair, and they would not have been able to get that if they had not brought her all the way back from the Netherworld. But they'd only had her word for it that her hair had been required for the spell in the first place. Could Gail have accomplished the spell for the cure on her own?

And another thing had just occurred to him: If Gail hadn't had the hawk attack Metatron, causing him to drop the Demon Tablet into Hell, Lucifer might not be free right now. Unbelievable. But Crowley supposed he couldn't be angry with her about that; she had bailed him out hugely at the time.

Gail didn't know what Crowley was thinking, only that he had a strange expression on his face. But she kind of understood, if he was thinking the same thing she was thinking. Magic spells? What kind of spells? Her mind went to Rowena's spell book. Bobby had given it to Sam to keep in the bunker's library after their ordeal in the cabin. Was she supposed to use something from in there against Lucifer, maybe? But that was probably why Crowley had such a weird look on his face now. Any reminder of his dead mother would probably be enough to annoy him.

"Magic spells?" Gail said. "What do you think about that?"

Crowley shrugged. "Our Father thinks He's funny sometimes. I wonder what hilarious abilities he gave to Lucifer, and whether we'll be around to laugh about it years from now."

This reminded Gail of the urgency of the situation. "Is there anything else?" she asked him. "I really have to go."

Crowley bent to the blade again. "There are a couple I can make out quickly. You have the power to conjure up light in total darkness."

"Oh," she remarked. "Well, I guess that could come in handy sometime."

"And - " Crowley couldn't help but smirk " - you can clean up any mess instantly. Maybe you could start with my Brother."

Gail sighed. She'd been hoping they could get through one conversation without him trashing Castiel. But she supposed she'd been expecting too much. "Very funny," she said sarcastically. But she thought about that now. She guessed that was God's sense of humour at work, as Crowley had suggested. Or maybe it was just old-time sexism. But hadn't she just said to Cas a little while ago that she wished she had the ability to clean clothes instantly? She'd been trying to be funny at the time, but considering what they might be about to face, it might not be all that amusing.

"Great," she said. "Now when I get stabbed, at least I'll be able to make myself presentable."

Crowley frowned. "What is Bobby playing at, sending you out there all by yourselves?" he asked her.

Gail sighed. "Frankly, I have no idea. Apparently, he's got an advisor in Heaven who's been helping him strategize, and this guy thinks it's a good idea. But I trust Bobby. He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think the plan had merit. Apparently, we're supposed to be beacons, to attract him."

"So, bait, in other words?" Crowley asked her. Once again, he was surprised. That didn't really sound like Bobby. "Who's this advisor?" he said sharply.

Gail shrugged. "I don't know." Laurel had told her about it when Gail and Kevin had gone to Bobby's office to receive their envelopes. But when Gail had started questioning Laurel about it, Bobby's receptionist had clammed up. Perhaps she shouldn't have said anything, Laurel had said.

Crowley was thinking furiously. An "advisor" was consulting with Bobby in Heaven about the deployment of the Angels here on Earth? Did Crowley just have a suspicious mind, or was that suspicious?

Now Gail felt like Laurel. "Forget I said anything," she told him. "I probably shouldn't have told you that."

"It'll be our little secret, then," Crowley assured her with a small smile. But this would bear further investigation, of course.

"I'd better go," Gail said to him. "I'm pushing my luck now." She held out her hand for her blade and incredibly, he simply handed it back. This was so weird. She'd never been alone here with him like this, and he was being so nice to her. Given their history, Gail couldn't be blamed for feeling like she'd stepped into an alternate dimension.

Crowley knew her better than she realized, given the additional time they'd spent alone together during Cas's Demon phase and then afterwards, when she and Cas had been separated. But she wouldn't remember any of those times, of course. It was a shame, really. She still thought of Crowley as her enemy, but try as he might, he felt no enmity towards her now. Castiel was another matter, but Crowley had to admit he really did like Gail now. He might even love her. Perhaps he always had. But he'd tried to force the issue before, and that had never worked. Gail did not tolerate that kind of treatment for long. She had left his Brother after having been treated with force once too often when he'd been the Demon, and though Castiel had bullied and coerced her into returning to him at the time, Gail had kicked him to the curb when she had been cured of the disease Castiel had inflicted on her. Now they were together again, but only because Gail had no recollection of those dark events, in Crowley's opinion. What would she do if she did remember? If God had erased her memories, she shouldn't be able to do that. But Crowley wasn't convinced that their Father had truly wiped her mind. Something told him that Castiel hadn't gotten off as scot-free as he thought he had. Or maybe that was what Crowley had to tell himself in order to achieve any form of serenity about the situation. But in any event, he was still the King of Hell, and he wasn't above stirring the pot a little bit.

"Well, good luck out there," Crowley said cheerfully. "And, don't worry too much. I don't think Lucifer will be coming after you first. I think he actually liked you, a little bit. Well, as much as someone like him could actually like anyone, besides himself, of course. It's Castiel he can't stand. But then, to know Castiel is to hate him, after all. That's the only thing that Lucifer and I have ever seen eye to eye on."

Gail's mouth dropped open. "What are you talking about? I've never met Lucifer, and neither has Cas. He told me that."

"Did he?" Crowley said impassively. "Maybe you shouldn't believe everything your boyfriend tells you. See you soon, sweetheart." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Gail stood there, still holding her blade in her hand, frozen to the spot. What had THAT been all about? Had Crowley just been screwing with her?

But she wondered. There was something fishy going on; she'd known that for a while now. But, what was it? And how worried should she be about it? There was something wrong here, that was for sure. Was she nuts? They were telling her that she had PTSD. Did she? And if she did, would it wipe out something as big as having met Lucifer? There was no way she could forget something like that. But if she HAD met him, that would mean that everyone was lying to her about it. Had Lucifer made her crazy, as he had Sam, and Bobby? No, she couldn't accept that, either. She felt like herself, and except for her fear about the current situation, she felt OK. Gail had seen Bobby when he'd come back from Lucifer's cage; he'd been nervous and jumpy, seeing things that weren't there. She didn't feel that way at all. She just seemed to have a void in her brain, that was all. And some things had been coming back, slowly but surely. Maybe it was because she missed Cas already, but earlier when she'd been kissing him goodbye in the hallway, Gail had begun to picture them together in other situations. Him sitting on a chair somewhere, in a room she didn't recognize. She had been sitting on his lap, and they had been kissing. Nothing particularly unusual for them, but she had been naked, and he had been inside of her. Then she saw them in a bedroom in the bunker, and he was down on his knees in front of her, pleasuring her with his tongue. Then, the most surreal vision of all: she had been on her stomach on a plush couch and he had been behind her. She knew what they were doing in that vision, and that was impossible. They had certainly never done that before, and she wasn't sure if they ever would. It seemed like it would be painful, and Cas would never ask her to do anything that would hurt her. Besides, he would be far too shy to even suggest such a thing. So, where the hell would anything like that have come from? Were all of these scenes in her head things she had forgotten about, or were they just wishful thinking on her part? If so, she had a pretty dirty imagination for an Angel. Should she choose to find this funny, or should she be upset about it? Was Cas lying to her for some reason? She could recall many occasions when he'd been evasive with her or shut her out. But out-and-out lying was another matter. And he couldn't be the only one, either. Everyone else was acting as if there was nothing wrong with her, too.

But she was wasting time woolgathering now. She was supposed to be in Las Vegas. Too bad she'd be alone, though. False memories or not, she wouldn't mind doing one or two of those things she'd been picturing with Cas right now. She'd love for him to be there with her. But, business before pleasure. Bobby had given her his instructions, and she was sure the others had similar orders. Hopefully, Lucifer would tip his hand to one of them soon, and hopefully, they could apprehend him before he could do too much damage. Metatron and Aurielle would likely be with him, and maybe they could get all three of them at once. Wouldn't that be great?

And while she was dreaming, she might as well ask for a pony. Were things ever that easy for them?

Gail sighed, sheathing her blade, and winked herself to Las Vegas.

The Demon Squad pulled up to a motel in Nashville, and the men got out and stretched their bodies.

"I'm not used to riding shotgun," Frank said to Dean. "I'm used to being the driver."

"Well, you're family, Frank, but you're not driving my Baby," Dean said, grinning. "But don't take it personally. I don't even let Sammy drive. Cas, either."

"But that's why we're forced to stop so frequently," Chuck commented. "If you let someone else drive once in a while, you wouldn't have to stop to rest so often."

Dean gazed evenly at him. "Forget it, Chuck. Not gonna happen."

Chuck shrugged. He'd figured as much. But he'd wanted to speak up anyway.

"Who's with who?" Frank said, getting his bag out of the car.

Dean frowned. He'd prefer to room with Frank, but Bobby's instructions had been very specific. "You're with Ethan," Dean said to Frank. "Chuck's with me."

Chuck was surprised. He knew that Dean didn't care for him too much. "I'd assumed you and Frank would room together," he said to Dean.

Dean looked around. He saw no one, but he lowered his voice anyway. "Bobby was very specific," he told the men. "One human, one Angel. He wants us ready to roll at all times."

"So? We get rooms next to each other," Frank protested. It's not like he minded the idea of rooming with Ethan, really. Frank just thought that he and Dean might have more fun, and they actually had a lot more in common with each other. They would both sleep, for one thing. It was going to be a little weird being in the same room with a guy who just sat up all night. Oh, well. Frank had noise-cancelling headphones in his bag. Funny, he didn't even remember buying them. Why would he need something like that? He was alone almost all of the time. But now he was glad he had them. If Ethan wanted to watch TV to keep himself occupied, at least Frank could still sleep.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Your sister is out there alone, Frank. Do you really want to have to wait for an Angel to come and get you if she needs you? Or if Cas needs us?"

Frank nodded. "Sorry. You're right, Dean."

"Come on, Chuck," Dean said. "I'll get some sleep, and maybe you can write another book, or something."

Chuck rolled his eyes. Dean was never going to let that go, was he? Maybe Chuck should remind Dean that both he and Sam had gotten a lot of play from those books. All Chuck had ever gotten from them had been Becky, and she had been all wrong for him. Maybe Dean's idea had some merit, though. Maybe Chuck should sit down with a pen and a pad of paper and see if any prophecies would come. Ever since his journal had sealed itself, his mind had been as blank as the pages in it had been when Cas had opened it. He sent Kevin a quick message on Angel Radio advising him to do the same, and Kevin replied immediately, confirming that he already was. Chuck was glad to hear that, and he was glad to hear that Kevin was all right. So far, anyway. Chuck wished he was here with them. Kevin was Chuck's best friend in Heaven. They were closer to each other than they were to Ethan, probably because of the whole Prophet thing, and because Chuck had been there for Kevin with emotional support when Kevin's mom had been killed. It was weird to think of both Kevin and Linda being out there alone, dangled as bait for Lucifer, while the four men of the Demon Squad were all here together, with tons of weapons in the trunk of the car, and lots of fighting experience between them. Well, OK, Chuck didn't really have any. But he had already learned a lot, and he was sure he would get even better. Maybe he could talk to Dean about that, and they could bond over it a little. Chuck was getting tired of Dean always picking on him. After all, weren't they on the same team?

Ethan and Frank were in their room, and Frank had changed into sweats and a T-shirt. The weather was getting cool now, and the leaves were changing. So weird. Frank had no idea what was going on, weatherwise. Last he remembered, it had been winter. If this was Indian summer, it was extremely late. But maybe things were different in Nashville. When he and Gail had been on the road, Frank had generally avoided the Southern states. Too much country music, and Gail had always hated the heat. But Kansas had been like this, too. He sighed. Screw recycling; global warming was obviously already here. And if they weren't able to stop Lucifer, soon the weather would cease to matter, anyway.

Ethan was looking at him. "What?" Frank said. "Do you want to play cards, or something?"

"Sorry. I was just trying to see if I could see any family resemblance between you and Gail," Ethan said. "I'm a cop; I study faces."

"You mean, you used to be a cop," Frank pointed out.

"No, I still am. I'm the head of Law Enforcement," Ethan replied.

"Law Enforcement in Heaven?" Frank said, amused. "What exactly would that entail? Tickets for running in the hallways? Violations for scuffed halos?"

Ethan frowned. He kind of got where Frank was coming from, but he was also proud of himself for having achieved such a high position at such a young age. Well, relatively speaking, of course.

"There's a need for Law Enforcement in Heaven, Frank. Metatron was in prison there, and he still should be. And remember Jason? He was in our jail, too, until his transfer." Bobby hadn't given Ethan any details about that, he'd just come one day to tell Ethan that Jason was being transferred, and then Bobby had taken him out of there, never to be seen again. Ethan was still curious about that, but Bobby had shut him down when he'd inquired about it. Bobby was an easy man to talk to, but once he told you something was off limits, there was no further discussion to be had. And that was only right; God was the ultimate Police Commissioner, after all.

"Yeah, but so was Cas, wasn't he?" Frank shot back.

Ethan's expression darkened. "That was when guys like Xavier and Jason were in charge. There was a lot that was wrong with that administration. But things are better now, obviously. And with the new laws, and with your sister in charge of the new board, things have gotten even better."

Frank's brow furrowed. "Gail's in charge of the board? When did that happen?" he asked Ethan.

Ethan winced. Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Frank and Gail's relationship seemed a little strange to Ethan. On the one hand, they seemed fairly close. He'd seen them being affectionate with one another during training and teasing each other as siblings did. And look at the way they had grown up together. Ethan knew their story by now, and he felt for them both. But there was something off about the two of them, as well. Maybe it was just the differing lifestyles they led, but they didn't seem to spend any time together, really. Ethan wondered if they had just grown apart once they had grown into adulthood. Maybe a part of Frank resented Cas having taken over as the Alpha male in her life. But Ethan had seen Gail and Cas together at the tribunal and at the jail, and he knew that their love was for real. Though he had been a little worried about Cas there for a while. When he'd come to see Jason in jail, Cas had seemed weird, and his eyes had been purple. But Jason had been so cruel to the couple, and Ethan had heard that Jason had tortured the crap out of Gail at that cabin. So it was understandable that Cas would hate his guts. And Cas had murdered Lanister because he wouldn't shut up about making Gail pay for his son's murder. So, bottom line: Cas was a good guy who just happened to turn into the Hulk when anyone hurt or even threatened Gail. If nothing else, Frank should appreciate that about him.

So Ethan sidestepped Frank's question in true Angel fashion, and instead he told him how proud he should be of his sister. She was the first female who had ever been in any position of authority in Heaven, and everyone respected her there, and they loved her, too.

Frank was more than a little surprised that Gail hadn't told him about any of this. Things must work really fast in Heaven. She and Cas had just come back safe from the cabin, and Gail was already the Chairwoman of the new board, and they had written a new set of laws? Earth politics could really take a lesson from these guys, not to mention the justice system. Did time move differently in Heaven? Maybe it did; they were eternal beings there, weren't they? Maybe one day equaled one year in Heaven, or something. Frank would have to ask her about that.

Mostly, though, he was impressed. His little sister, such an important figure in Heaven. Who would have ever thought? And Frank was impressed with Cas, too. He had run the training class very well, and he had taught the Angels a lot, in a very short period of time. Outside of Sam, or maybe Dean, Frank couldn't think of a better guy for his sister. Cas obviously doted on her, and though it was still a little weird for Frank to see them being affectionate with each other the way they were, he was glad that Gail had picked a quality guy to love. But just what form that love had actually taken was still a mystery to Frank. He had no recollection of that ugly time, so Frank had no clue about what, if anything, went on between Cas and Gail when they were alone together. According to what Ethan was saying, the new laws had been written to accommodate any kind of physical affection that Angels wanted to share with each other. Frank had smirked at that. Perhaps his sister wasn't being totally altruistic on that one, then. But if he was going to accept that she was a grown woman now, and Frank supposed that he did have to accept it, mainly because it was true, then he had to accept that she and Cas probably wanted to do more than hold hands and smooch. Hell, they probably were already. So Frank guessed that he was fine with that, as long as he didn't have to hear about it.

But Frank did see an opportunity here. Ethan had been there for the entire tribunal, and he was obviously part of the Angels' inner circle. Gail's brother felt out of the loop about a lot of things when it came to his sister's life now. So he asked Ethan to tell him about the tribunal. What exactly had happened there? What had the testimony been? Why had the board ruled to execute Cas, when he was obviously such a good guy? And how was Gail involved in all of that?

Ethan paused. He didn't know how comfortable he was with these questions. Frank wasn't an Angel, and he hadn't been there. He didn't know how Xavier and Jason had been. As Ethan thought about what to say in response, there was a noise at the door. Frank sprang off the bed and grabbed his knife from the nightstand.

Ethan went to the door. "Who is it?" he called out. Nothing. He looked at Frank. "Who's there?" Ethan said again.

The men heard some scratching sounds, and then, a cat's meow. Frank smiled. "You're kidding me," he said.

Both of the men were well aware that this could be a trick, but Ethan looked out the peephole and he didn't see anyone. More scratching sounds, and another meow.

Frank moved to the other side of the door and Ethan picked up his weapon from the bed, where it had been sitting beside him on the mattress. Frank motioned to Ethan, and Ethan unlocked the door and yanked it open.

No Demons, no evil Angels; just a small black cat with green eyes, pawing at the door. Ethan and Frank smiled at each other with relief.

Ethan leaned down and scooped the cat up in his arms. "Hey there, little guy," he said, scratching the cat behind its ears. He brought the cat over to his bed as Frank closed and locked the door again.

"Are you hungry?" Ethan asked the cat. It was purring and rubbing its face against his hand.

"That's too bad," Frank said. "No milk. Only beer. And, speaking of which..." He went to the room's mini-fridge and got himself a beer.

"I like cats," Ethan said. "Karen and I had been talking about getting one, but she wanted to wait until the baby got a bit older. She believed in that nonsense about a cat stealing a baby's breath." He nuzzled his face against the cat's head. "But you would never do anything like that, would you?"

Frank turned his head so Ethan wouldn't see him rolling his eyes. It was amazing how some grown men were reduced to baby talk when they were around animals.

Rowena smirked, making her whiskers twitch. She had been listening outside the door, but their conversation had been muffled and she'd missed a few words here and there. So she had used the old tried-and-true method. She looked at Frank. She hadn't liked him when he'd been working for her son, and she didn't like him now. Now, there was an Alpha male if ever she had seen one. It was no wonder that Gail had wanted to be so independent. Frank had probably been his sister's boss her whole life, right up until she'd met the Winchesters and Castiel. And that was probably why Gail didn't spend that much time with Frank now.

She didn't know Ethan, so Rowena didn't have any particular opinion about him. She did like the way he was being with her right now, though. She had been in the Netherworld for too long, and most of the men there had been dried-up old prunes. She purred as Ethan stroked her fur. He was a little too young for her, and a little too into the concept of law and order, but she could enjoy his gentle touch for a few minutes, anyway. But then she started to struggle in his arms and Ethan let her go, putting her down on the bed beside him. She stretched out, displaying her stomach, and Ethan scratched it. Me-ow, Rowena thought contentedly.

"So, about the tribunal..." Frank said, twisting the top off his beer and sitting back down on his bed.

Crap. Ethan was hoping the distraction would have made Frank forget about that. "Why are you asking me about that, Frank?" he said, frowning. "That's history now, and everything turned out OK in the end."

"I just want to learn more about Cas," Frank told him. "It looks like Gail's pretty serious about him, so I just want to make sure that he's an okay guy. Do you have any sisters?"

Ethan smiled. "No, but I do have a brother. And I get where you're coming from, Frank. I used to ask a lot of questions about any guy he brought home."

Frank did a double-take, and Ethan continued to look at him. He really hoped Frank wasn't one of "those guys". "Problem, Frank?" he asked coolly.

"What? No," Frank answered quickly. "No, no problem at all."

Ethan was relieved. His brother was gay, and Ethan didn't want to room with a homophobe. Now that he thought about it, that would have been curious, though. Gail was very progressive and open-minded, and the siblings had literally grown up together. And Gail had made it a point to be sure that Heaven's new laws spelled out that homosexuality was not a sin, just another form of love. She had further endeared herself to Ethan for that. Now his brother could ascend; under the old laws, he wouldn't have been able to.

"Anyway, I hear you about Cas," Ethan continued. "But you don't have to worry. They railroaded him. Yeah, he's not perfect, but there's a whole lot of good in him. Xavier tried to do a hatchet job on him. But Xavier was the real bad guy. We found out later that he conspired with Crowley to put Cas away. Xavier convinced the board to vote death for Cas, and he brought Gail along for the ride, just because they were a couple." Ethan wasn't about to go into the details of the morals charge with Frank. "But they were both so strong during the tribunal, and at the jail, too. That's when I really got to know Cas, and then I grew to admire him," Ethan continued. "He goes about his business the right way, but he's no pushover, either. And he would give his life for Gail's. In fact, he tried to. He told Xavier that he would plead guilty to everything if Xavier would set Gail free. And he knew that if he pled guilty, he would be executed."

Frank was impressed. He knew that Cas was protective of Gail, but: Wow.

"So, they killed him," Frank said to Ethan.

"That's right, Frank. The bastards killed him," Ethan confirmed sadly. He'd sidestepped a lot of things, but Ethan didn't think a discussion of the things that Cas had done wrong in the past would be of any benefit here and now. The past was the past, and even though some of that stuff had been pretty bad, Cas had expressed remorse for it, and he had clearly changed. He was obviously a different sort of Angel now. "And they made Gail watch the execution." Ethan added bitterly.

Frank winced. His poor sister. That must have devastated her. "And these were Angels, huh?" he asked Ethan incredulously. "Makes you wonder who the bad guys really are, sometimes." Frank and Dean had talked about this subject back in the bunker. Dean had told Frank that, contrary to what humans believed, most Angels were dicks. At least, most of them that Dean had run into were. Cas and Bobby were obvious exceptions. But now Frank had met a few others, and he thought that they were all right. But the ones who had done that to Cas and Gail clearly weren't, and neither were the ones that were on the loose now. Though he supposed those three were technically Demons now.

Ethan bristled a bit at what Frank had said, but he tried to put himself in Frank's place. It wasn't surprising that he would feel that way. Still: "Yeah, but there are a lot of good Angels too, Frank," he said. "Chuck and Kevin formed a group to oppose Xavier's administration. And when we thought we'd lost Cas, the outpouring of support for Gail was evident. She lost her mind when they killed Cas, and Chuck helped bring her back. Then, as you know, Cas was revived, and he dismantled the board. Then Bobby came back, and now things are run the way they should be. So, happy endings all around."

Frank sat back against the pillows, sipping on his beer. He supposed Ethan was right. It was still really weird to Frank that it had been Crowley who had revived Cas, though. He would never understand that. Why would the King of Hell restore the life of God's right-hand Angel? But everybody seemed OK with it, and Frank guessed that Crowley's motivation didn't really matter, as the right result had been achieved.

Rowena's whiskers twitched again. Neither of these guys had a single clue. They were talking about Castiel as if he were the Second Coming. But why her son would ever even have revived his mortal enemy was beyond Rowena. She supposed Crowley had had his own agenda. He'd probably thought that if he breathed enough of his own essence into Castiel, he could make him into an Alpha Demon, a Knight of Hell. Her son had been looking for a replacement for Frank ever since Gail had killed her Demon brother. But her son had been crazy if he'd ever thought that Castiel would serve him. Castiel served no one, not even Bobby. Perhaps Angel Cas did serve Gail, though. She seemed to have him wrapped around her little finger. But that would be only fair, in Rowena's opinion. Demon Cas had dominated Gail, and Gail had let him. But, to her credit, Gail had pulled out all the stops to cure Castiel from his affliction, which had turned out to be Gail's, as well.

Rowena was still on the fence about Gail. The witch still thought that she could be a mentor to Gail in some way. But the girl was mercurial, and her life was complicated. Rowena had seen both submission and dominance as character traits in Gail. As a Demon, she had been too good at heart to sink to the very depths, even though she had touched bottom from time to time. But as an Angel, Gail was none too pure, either. Rowena couldn't quite figure her out.

Ethan stopped scratching the cat's belly and sat up straighter. All this talk about Cas and Gail had made him restless. And Bobby had said that it was okay, after all. "I'm going to pop out for a bit, Frank," he said. "Bobby said that I could, but I'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. I don't want anyone to be mad about it." Frank looked at him with raised eyebrows. Ethan continued, "Bobby said I could go see Karen and my son for a few minutes, and now is probably a good time. Dean and Chuck are right next door, and Chuck can call me on Angel Radio of you guys need me. But, it's driving me nuts. I just have to see them for a minute, make sure they're OK."

Frank was a little surprised, but he could understand. The poor guy had been taken so young. He obviously loved his girlfriend a lot, and he hadn't even been given the chance to be a father. "Sure, Ethan. I'll just watch some TV," Frank told him. "Or, I might be sleeping. If so, just be quiet when you come back. You remember what a drag it is to be woken up from a good sleep, right?"

Ethan nodded. He remembered. "Thanks, Frank," he said. "I'll see you in a bit." Then he winked out.

Frank went to get another beer, turning on the TV on his way back to his bed. What the hell. Might as well see what was on. Maybe he could watch a little porn, now that the Angel was gone. Then again, maybe not. Frank didn't want Ethan to pop back in suddenly and catch him doing that.

He looked at the cat. "Want some beer?" he said to it, waggling the bottle. "No? More for me, then." Great. Now he was talking to the thing, too. Thanks, Ethan.

Rowena regarded Frank calmly. Actually, she would love a drink. But there was no point staying here anymore. There was no more discussion to be overheard, and she was not about to lay here watching Frank drink and watch TV. Bo-ring. Maybe things would be more interesting next door. So she jumped off the bed and sashayed over to the sliding doors on the opposite side of the room. Perhaps a little fresh air. She got up on her hind legs and scratched at the window, meowing.

"So, your buddy's gone and now you're just gonna leave?" Frank said to the cat, bemused. "Okay, then." He got off the bed and unlocked the patio door, sliding it open. "Off you go."

The cat walked outside and Frank slid the door closed again, locking it, and then he drew the drapes. Good riddance. He'd never liked cats much, anyway.

Frank clicked from channel to channel, but he was preoccupied now. He was thinking about Jody. He really liked her. He'd been hoping that she would be assigned to the Demon Squad with him. Then he could have gotten to know her better. What he'd seen, he'd really liked, though. She was his kind of woman. Maybe he'd ask her out after all this was over. Their eyes had met a few times during training, and Jody had smiled at him whenever that had happened. Frank could kind of understand his sister going a little nuts in the romance department, if that was indeed what was happening between her and Cas, because Frank felt the same way. Since he'd had to take care of Gail for all those years, Frank hadn't really had many opportunities to seek out female companionship. He'd had hookups from time to time; he was a red-blooded man, after all. Some nights, once Gail was old enough to stay behind on her own, Frank had gone out hunting at night, and not for monsters. But nothing had lasted, of course. He and Gail had had to stay on the move. But now things were different. Frank didn't have to worry about taking care of Gail any more. He wasn't getting any younger, and he wanted what Ethan had. What Gail had, now. Jody was the first woman Frank had ever met who he thought might fit the bill. If she felt the same way, of course.

He smiled. Something to look forward to, once they were through this mess.

Rowena went to the next set of patio doors and peered inside. There they were, Chuck and Dean. Sounded like a cartoon duo, or something.

She thought of scratching at the door but decided not. Dean might very well remember her little trick at the bunker, and even if he didn't, she remembered that he didn't like cats. They had conveniently left the door open a crack, and the drapes were still open. She could watch and hear just fine from here. It was night now, and she was a black cat. She was pretty sure the men wouldn't even notice her.

Dean was sitting up in bed, and he was shirtless, thank the Lord. Like Frank, he was drinking a beer. Chuck was sitting on his own bed, looking at Dean. Rowena couldn't blame him. Dean was a sweet piece of eye candy, to be sure. But then Rowena tore her eyes away from Dean and watched as Chuck took off his own shirt. She saw his back muscles ripple as he did it, and she had to admit that he wasn't too hard to look at, either. Hopefully, this conversation would be long and interesting. Rowena hadn't had such a pleasant view in a long time.

Dean was missing his brother. It was weird to be out here on the road without him, and even weirder to be roomies with another guy. It was almost like he was cheating on Sammy, Dean thought with a smirk. Then he frowned. At least Sam got to be in the bunker with two women. Dean was stuck here with Chuck, a guy that he and Sam had hated in the past. And now Chuck was taking off his shirt. Great. If Dean were going to look at anyone with their shirt off, he'd much rather it be Nicole. He wondered how she was doing. He'd have to call her soon, if he wasn't up to his ass in Demons.

"Why don't you call her now?" Chuck said suddenly, and Dean did a double-take. "Sorry. Prophet," Chuck said, shrugging his shoulders. He had seen Dean with Nicole in recent visions, and Chuck had not only watched the two of them having sex, but they had talked and cuddled, much like Cas and Gail did. Chuck was under the impression that Dean might have feelings for the girl, even though it was very early in the game. He'd had a look on his face just now that Chuck thought he recognized.

Dean scowled at Chuck. Terrific. Not only was Dean not allowed to go out on the road with Sam, or even room with Frank, but Bobby was forcing him to hang out with a guy who probably knew pretty much everything that Dean was thinking. They'd better wrap this thing up, quick.

But he did really want to check in with Nicole now, and who knew when he would get the opportunity next? Dean reached for his cell phone, then he looked at Chuck again.

"I'll go down the hall and get some ice," Chuck said to Dean. "And I'll take my time." He put his shirt back on and left the room.

Dean called Nicole's number, which he had memorized, and she answered.

"Dean!" she exclaimed. "How is everything? Is the crisis over?"

"No, not even close," Dean told her. "It's the calm before the storm. How's everything there? How are you?"

She smiled. "It's quiet here, too. And guess what? Cas still has his job. The writers have just gone on strike, so the show's into forced hiatus until it's resolved."

"Forced what? Hellatus?" Dean said, puzzled.

Nicole laughed. "No. Hiatus. That's pretty funny, though. It just means we're on a break. So I've been using the time off to get some stuff done. And it also means I didn't have to tell Richard anything, yet."

"Well, I don't know when Cas will be able to come back," Dean told her. "We hope to have this thing taken care of ASAP, but there's no telling. In the meantime, you and Zoey be careful, okay?"

"Careful of what?" Nicole asked him curiously.

"I don't know," Dean replied. "Just...be careful." He felt uneasy. Nicole had no idea what could be out there. Maybe Armageddon was going to start in the States, as Bobby'd said he thought it would, but Dean was sure it wasn't just going to stay there.

"What's going on, Dean?" Nicole said. "You can tell me."

Dean hesitated. Then he decided: What the hell. He'd told her a lot of stuff he probably shouldn't have already. "You'll probably think I'm nuts, but here goes: The Devil is loose on Earth, and we think he's somewhere in the States. We're trying to flush him out. Well, at least, Cas and Gail are. I'm on sort of a Demon hit squad at the moment. The King of Hell has brought a bunch of Demons here to look for Lucifer, and we're just here to make sure they behave themselves."

Silence. "Oh, so just an ordinary Wednesday, then," Nicole quipped.

Dean grinned. That, right there, was what set Nicole apart from so many other girls. "Yeah, for us? Pretty much," he agreed.

"Where's Sam during all this?" Nicole asked.

"He gets the cushy job," Dean grumbled. "He gets to stay home, doing computer research, with two female assistants, while I have to share a room in a motel with a guy I don't even like."

Chuck stopped short. He'd left the door ajar, and he'd heard what Dean just said. He had walked down the hall to the ice machine, but they didn't need ice, and he'd started to feel weird about it. What if something went down, and he had to explain to Bobby why he'd left Dean alone? So he had come right back, intending to tell Dean he'd just have to suck it up. If he wanted to talk dirty to his girlfriend, he would just have to go into the bathroom, or something. But Chuck was not going to be caught shirking his duty. He was a good guy now, and good guys didn't do that.

Chuck frowned. He knew Dean didn't really care for him, but it had hurt to hear that all the same. He felt like marching in there and asking Dean what his problem was. The books were ancient history, and so was Chuck's scheming against Cas and Gail. If his Angel friends had forgiven him for it, and they had, then why couldn't Dean?

But Chuck eased open the door, closed and locked it behind him, and strode to his bed, picking up his pen and pad of paper. Maybe he would see if he could see what some of the others were doing, get his mind off his own hurt feelings.

Dean sighed. He should have known Chuck wouldn't stay away for long. His conversation with Nicole hadn't been nearly long enough.

"I'd better go," Dean said to her. "I'll call you when I can."

"You be careful too, Dean," she said softly. "And please tell Cas and Gail to do the same." She had been flippant about it, but Nicole was alarmed at what Dean had been telling her. The Devil, loose on Earth? Demons running around? And there were her friends, right in the middle of things. No wonder they had left in such a hurry. If she'd had a high opinion of them before, Nicole really admired them now.

"I will," Dean responded. "'Bye, Nicole." He pushed End Call, looked at the phone for a moment, then set it back on the nightstand. Then he looked at Chuck. "Where's the ice?" he joked.

Chuck tried to ignore him, continuing to stare at the blank sheet of paper. Then he sighed. Who was he kidding? Nothing was coming to him. And he was being childish, pouting like a little kid. So Dean had hurt his feelings. Chuck had said a lot worse in the past, and done a lot worse, when he'd been evil. He put down the paper and pen and faced Dean.

"I heard what you said, Dean," Chuck said calmly.

"What I - ?" Dean started to say. Then he realized what Chuck was talking about. "Oh. Sorry," he said, unconvincingly.

Chuck sighed. "Look, Dean. I know you and Sam have had issues with me in the past, but we're on the same team here, you know." Dean said nothing, so Chuck continued, "If you have such a problem with me, why don't we just switch up tomorrow? I'll room with Frank, and you can room with Ethan."

Dean frowned. "Can't," he said shortly.

"Why not?" Chuck asked him.

Now Dean sighed. Chuck was going to make him say it. "Bobby said, that's why not. He didn't want you to room with Frank, in case you - and these were his words - 'go blabbing something to Frank that you shouldn't'," There. Chuck had made him say it, by not leaving it alone.

Chuck was taken aback. What? Did Bobby really think that little of him? He knew what Dean was talking about, of course. Frank's memories had been wiped clean, but Chuck's and Dean's had not.

Dean saw the dismayed look on Chuck's face, and he did feel a little bad for the guy, so he said, "It is kind of a relief not to have to watch what I say around you. It's hard sometimes to remember what he doesn't remember. You know what I mean?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, of course I do, Dean. But I would never say anything to Frank. Cas and Gail are my friends now."

Dean shrugged. "All I know is that's what Bobby said. And he's the boss. So we'll just have to make the best of it." He grabbed the remote. "I'm gonna see if there's anything on. You can watch, or write, or do whatever it is you guys do. I'm getting another beer."

Dean turned on the TV and got off the bed, walking over to the mini-fridge. Chuck scowled, looking at Dean's back. Dean Winchester, God's gift to women. Chuck was supposed to be a better guy now, but Dean was making it hard for him. Chuck hadn't expected them to be best buddies or anything, but he'd thought after all this time of rehabilitating himself, he would at least be treated like an equal. He guessed that was too much to ask, though. Bobby went way back with the Winchesters, and with Cas, and Chuck had always just been a douchebag to them, a thorn in their side. Why had he expected that things would ever be any different?

Rowena's whiskers twitched, and if she'd had eyebrows, they would have raised. She saw Chuck scowl at Dean when his back was turned. Interesting. Perhaps Chuck wasn't so good, after all. Or at least, not as good as he was valiantly trying to be. But it wasn't healthy to deny your true nature; Rowena knew all about that. She had tried to suppress who she really was and do right by Fergus, but she had just ended up resenting her son and feeling stifled. And, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Castiel had tried to become someone else by embracing the dark in him. That side that everyone had, but that most were in denial about. But he had been denying his true nature too, and the results of that decision had been disastrous. Rowena didn't know Chuck, but she knew of him, and she thought that his true nature might lie somewhere in the middle. She had known men like him, though. Always on the fringes. On the outside, looking in. Try as he might, Chuck would never be accepted into the golden circle of God's favourites. Maybe it was all of the rotten stuff that he had done in the past, or maybe it was just his own feeling that, deep down, he was indeed the douchebag the Winchesters thought him to be. In any event, Rowena thought there might be some gold to be mined from Chuck. She would have to keep an eye on him.

In the meantime, Chuck's eyes were on the blank page in front of him. He'd picked up the pad of paper again as Dean flipped channels on the TV, looking for something to interest him. Apparently, there was no further discussion to be had. So, Chuck decided that he would try again. If he could come up with something useful, they might feel differently about him.

But all he could see in his head were visions of couples. Sam and Zoey. Dean and Nicole. And Cas and Gail, of course. It seemed like he was obsessed with sex these days. Maybe it was the passing of the new laws that made Chuck realize how much he was missing out on. He'd thought that part of his life was over but judging by the variety and astonishing frequency with which Cas and Gail had indulged, even though they were all Angel now, Chuck had been wrong. That was, if the Golden Couple were any real barometer. The jury was still out on that. All Chuck knew was that Cas had to be the luckiest son of a you-know-what in the entire universe. He had gotten away with murder as a Demon, and now that he was among the Exalted again, Cas was still reaping the benefits in the bedroom. The rich did indeed get richer.

Though he and Gail were in different cities at the moment, both were currently picturing themselves together in bed, and their thoughts were definitely non-Angelic. Cas's eyes were half-closed, and he was smiling, picturing himself licking Gail all over, making his way down to the place she liked the best. She would be making her little sounds, softly at first, growing louder and more intense as he made love to her there. She would tell him how much she loved him and how good he was making her feel, and then she would lose her words altogether. He loved it when that happened. Then, when she grew still, he would kiss her with his tongue, the same one he'd used to make her so happy, and he would also use it to tell her how much he loved her. And then he would slip into her and she would wrap her legs around him, pulling him down on top of her. He would kiss and caress her soft skin and look at her face, so happy to be loving her, and to have her love him.

Gail was thinking about Cas, too. She was sitting on her bed in Las Vegas, propped up against the pillows, remembering their vacation here together. They had been so shy with each other that first night, but once they'd gotten into bed together, all their inhibitions had just melted away. She and Cas had been a perfect fit, and they still were now. And his technique had vastly improved, she thought mischievously. All he'd needed was a little experience, and a little confidence. But when you were in love, you grew and blossomed together, learning the things that the other person liked the best. Cas had certainly been a quick study in that regard, she thought, smiling affectionately. And she had been highly motivated to learn what he liked too, because he was so good to her. He pretty much seemed to like anything, though. Gail guessed that wasn't much of a surprise; he was a man, after all. Angel or not, it was her understanding that that was the way it worked. Cas just seemed so happy and so grateful to be with her at all, let alone to be making love with her. This attitude of his made her love him even more, and it made her want to make him as happy as he made her. So she was currently picturing herself touching him, making him smile. Sliding her body down to take him in her mouth and hearing him gasp. She knew he liked it when she did that, even though he would never ask her to do it. He seemed to feel that it was selfish, or something. But he was so selfless with her, and so loving, that Gail wanted to take the initiative to do this for him. He would moan softly, and his hand would gently touch her head. She would continue for a moment, then stop to nuzzle him, then start again. Gail knew he liked that too, because he would moan loudly when she resumed, and he would say her name, and then he would cry out. Then he would reach out for her and cuddle her, telling her again and again how much he loved her, once he caught his breath. And then he would be kissing her and looking to reciprocate, any way he could.

Chuck sat there, transfixed, seeing all of this in his head as if it were actually happening, instead of just being fantasized about by the couple. Were these images ever different from the way things had been when Cas had been a Demon, Chuck thought, shaking his head. No less sexy, though. Chuck pictured himself as Cas, being on the receiving end of Gail's ministrations, and he smiled. Funny, when Cas had been a Demon, Chuck had actually pictured himself in Gail's place a couple of times. It was curious, because Chuck wasn't gay, or even bisexual. But the idea of being dominated had always appealed to him for some reason. So he had been Gail then, laying splayed out on the bed, having things done to him. Cas had been rough with Gail at times, but a part of Chuck of which he was deeply ashamed had been oddly excited by that. But now that his friends were thankfully OK again, Chuck was Cas now in his fantasies. But it wasn't as if he wanted Gail for himself, or anything. He just wanted a relationship like the two of them had. Heroes by day, sexual beings at night. If Cas could have all that, after having been so evil, why couldn't Chuck? Didn't Chuck deserve a reward for having reformed himself? Cas hadn't even done that; he'd had the evil washed out of his system with a magic potion. Chuck could be a hero, too, if this exalted group would ever let him in their clique.

Chuck closed his eyes and settled back against the pillows, continuing to fantasize. He was Cas, taking out his blade and decapitating Lucifer with it. Saving the world. All of the Angels were applauding him. Then he and Gail would go home, and he would undress her slowly, kissing her with his tongue. But she was impatient; he was taking too long. So she pushed him away and quickly took off her own clothes. Then she tore his shirt open and licked his chest, and then she undid his pants, getting down on her knees in front of him. And then she was actually doing it, the same thing she had been doing to Cas a few minutes ago in Chuck's vision.

A sound escaped Chuck then, and he suddenly remembered where he was, and who was in the room with him. He shouldn't be thinking about that kind of stuff right now. Chuck opened his eyes to see Dean looking at him strangely. Crap. Chuck looked down at himself, thankful the pad of paper was still in his lap. He'd better settle down, or Dean wasn't going to just request a new roommate, Dean was going to kill him.

Rowena's whiskers were twitching furiously. She had seen Chuck's excited state, despite the pad of paper he thought was covering it. So it was true, then. She had heard the talk about Heaven's new laws through her mirror in the bunker, and here was the evidence. Rowena was excited by the thought. This opened up a whole new realm of possibilities to her. If male Angels were able to do those kinds of things now, Rowena could think of a few potential benefits in that for herself. There was the obvious one, of course. She had had to do without ever since she'd been forced to kill John. Rowena had hung around with her son after that, scheming and plotting to take his place. Not exactly a situation that would put a woman in the mood, although the concept of being in power did excite her. But then Gail had killed Rowena, and then she had been stuck in the Netherworld without a corporeal body. She could flirt as much as she wanted, and she had, but there had been nothing further to be done. Though some of the men had tried anyway, Rowena thought with amusement. Luke had repeatedly tried to kiss Rowena as she'd whispered sweet nothings in his ear and he'd whispered secrets in hers. All he'd gotten was air, but still, he had persisted. One would think that one of the writers of the original Gospels would have been a little smarter than that. But Luke was one of Lucifer's lieutenants, and he knew many things, so Rowena had offered him flattery, and a delicate little ear into which to impart his knowledge.

But now that Rowena had her body back, not only could she once again satisfy her own appetites, but she could use it to tempt men into giving her whatever information she needed. Apparently, Angels were now fair game, too. Did the situation apply to her dear Bobby? But, maybe she'd better not go there. She was contemplating aligning herself with Lucifer, after all. Rowena was good, but she didn't think she was quite THAT good. Bobby was an intelligent man, and he was keenly perceptive. And that had been before he'd been anointed God. Now he had powers that would trump hers, and she could hardly get out of bed with him in the morning and tell Bobby she was going shopping when she was really going to see Lucifer. Just imagine.

Rowena thought about Castiel. He was back to being Bobby's lieutenant now, and if anyone would have the most information on their plans, it would be him. She'd always been extremely attracted to his vessel, and his intensity, but the Angel inside it? Hardly. He was far too sanctimonious for Rowena. She was with her son in that regard. Castiel had always seemed to think and act like his way was the only way, even though he himself had made an astonishing number of horribly bad decisions throughout his existence. His latest one had been arguably one of the worst ones. Castiel had to know that there was no way he was going to get away with having been such a monster. Their God, the original God, wasn't that sort of individual. So, Castiel thought that there were to be no further consequences from that little escapade, did he? God had magnanimously erased Gail's memory for Castiel, and Castiel had let Him, of course. It may have been Gail's decision, ultimately, but the request had been Castiel's to begin with. And God had just done it. Easy peasy. But there were way too many people who still knew about it, and many of them had axes to grind.

Rowena herself would have preferred that Castiel and Gail hadn't drunk up all of the potion. She thought that both could benefit from having a little bit of Demon inside of them. They had their individual emotional demons, it was true, but that wasn't the same thing. Castiel was a killer, but he was far too compassionate as an Angel, a fact which had already come back to bite him. And Gail could be a Rowena-in-training, if she would just let a little bit more sin into her life. She certainly had, when she and Castiel had been under the Demon influence. Luke had shown Rowena images of the couple during that time, and Rowena had been both impressed and disgusted at the same time. Impressed by the frequency and variety, and by the couple's seemingly insatiable appetite. But Gail should have been the dominant one in the bedroom, in Rowena's opinion. For every mark Gail had received on her body, she should have inflicted two on Castiel. She could have suggested they try a little light bondage, and then taken out her own blade and toyed with Castiel a bit as he lay there, bound and helpless. Not gagged, though. Gail wouldn't have wanted to cover his mouth. Once she had exacted her revenge, Gail could have made use of that magnificent tongue of his. She could have positioned herself above his mouth and had him pleasure her. Then, if he was a really good boy, Gail could choose to turn herself around and return the favour. Then Castiel would belong to her. No man alive could resist a woman who did that to him. Or, if Gail chose, she could release him and lay on her stomach for him. A man was a slave to any woman who would willingly offer herself up to him that way. That particular activity of theirs had interested Rowena the most. Had that been all Demon, or were the Angels just reluctant to indulge in it now, thinking that it might tarnish their shiny halos? Rowena wouldn't have worried about that. Her motto was: if it feels good, do it. That was how she had become pregnant, after all. Well, maybe not from that particular position, but...

Damn it. Now her mind had wandered. It was a good thing Rowena was a cat at the moment, because she was getting excited herself now. What had she been thinking about before she had distracted herself? Oh, yes. The possibility of prying secrets out of Castiel.

Even though she was currently a cat, Rowena was likely barking up the wrong tree there. She had the feeling that the current version of Castiel would be impossible for her to seduce. He was disgustingly monogamous. He might even kill her just for trying it. Look at what he had done to poor Aurielle in the cabin, when all she had done was kiss him. No, Rowena would have to try something else.

It was too bad that Chuck didn't appear to be in the inner circle. Rowena could use a Prophet at her beck and call. But she considered it anyway. He wasn't bad-looking, and he had obviously been doing without, too. Maybe he could be a toy for her to play with for a while. She'd have to think on that later. But for now, it was time to move on. Dean was dozing, and Chuck was daydreaming.

Rowena waved a paw in the air, activating her mirror in the bunker. She didn't have her makeup mirror with her, of course, but no matter. She moved away from the sliding doors and padded into the woods behind the motel, winding her way through the trees. Then, when she was deep enough into the forest, Rowena waved her paw again, and the image of the library area was reflected in a small stream there. When she was under the enchantment of the cat that had already been invited into the bunker once, Rowena could do it this way; it was when she was in her human form that she had to use the mirror. Such were the properties and vagaries of Magic.

Sam, Becky and Jody were sitting around the table talking. Rowena's cat ears twitched as she turned up the volume. Lucky she'd thought of the mirror trick, really. She wouldn't have dared trying to enter the bunker in feline form with Sam there. He would definitely remember when she'd done that before, as he had been the one who had invited her inside in the first place. Rowena watched and listened.

Sam kept getting up and going over to the bookshelves, bringing more books to the table. He was frustrated. For all the lore they had at their disposal, Lucifer's name was rarely mentioned. But he kept thinking that he could just reach out and put his hands on a book that would give them a clue. Just one thing to go on. Sam had been roommates with Lucifer for a while, after all. Though he usually tried his best not to think of that time, Sam had been doing nothing but, these days. He tried to put himself in Lucifer's place. Where would he go? What would he do?

Becky had been keeping up a constant stream of chatter since everyone had left, and it was starting to get on Sam's nerves a bit. He needed to think, and she was distracting him. Sam had been a little concerned before he'd learned that Jody would also be here with him and Becky. If he and Becky had been alone here together, Sam would probably have had to send out an SOS if she got too bold with him. He almost smiled at the thought. Becky was a sweet enough girl, but he had zero interest in her. He could feel her eyes on him wherever he went, and Sam knew she was still hung up on him. Poor Kevin. He had no idea. But Sam didn't think Becky would be too bold with Jody here as a chaperone.

"I'm going to my room for a bit," Sam told them. He wanted some quiet time alone to think.

Becky's eyes followed him out of the room, and Jody sat back in her chair, regarding the girl. "What's going on, Becky?" Jody asked her.

Becky looked at Jody. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

Jody sighed. "Come on, Becky. You're as open as this book in front of me. You have a thing for Sam."

Becky was surprised. Was it that obvious? But then again, Jody was a Sheriff. She was paid to be observant.

"Okay, maybe I do," Becky admitted cautiously. "Why Do YOU like him?"

Jody laughed. "Of course I like him, but not in that way. And you shouldn't, either. You're an Angel, Becky. And I thought Kevin was your boyfriend."

Becky frowned. "So, I'm an Angel. So what? Cas and Gail are Angels and look at them."

Jody had to admit that Becky kind of had a point there. Cas and Gail were demonstrative in their affection, and Jody was pretty sure that they did a lot more than just hold hands when they were in private. "But Sam's a human," Jody pointed out. "There's a difference."

"What are you, a racist or something?" Becky retorted.

Jody bit her lip to keep from laughing. The girl seemed sweet enough, but she would have to grow at least another 50 IQ points just to sit down and have a conversation with Sam. She tried again. "But you're in Heaven, and he's here," Jody said. "How could that work?"

Becky frowned again. "If Bobby assigned me to Earth permanently, I could spend more time with Sam. I know he would like me once he got to know me better. I could help him and Dean, and Cas and Gail, too."

Jody highly doubted that. "What about Kevin?" she asked Becky.

Becky was uncomfortable now. "I like him, Jody. But I love Sam. I've loved him for years." There. It felt good to finally say it out loud.

As Jody looked calmly at Becky, Sam swore silently. He'd come back from his room, thinking he could choose a couple of books to study there, and he had overheard Becky's confession from the hallway. He'd been afraid that was it. But what could he do about it? The last time he had rejected her, Becky had killed herself. So he decided to just pretend he hadn't heard anything, and he strode into the library area, clearing his throat loudly to announce his presence.

"I thought you went to your room," Jody said to him.

"I did, but I thought I'd be productive while I was there," Sam answered her. He started to sift through the books on the shelf behind Jody. "Read up on Armageddon a bit more." His hand fell on Rowena's spell book, and he paused. It had nothing to do with the current situation, but he found himself taking it down and leafing through it anyway. Too bad there wouldn't be a spell in here for killing the Devil.

Rowena's cat eyes widened. Her spell book! Incredible. The Winchesters held it now. Well, it was hers, and she intended to have it back. She had meant for it to be a gift for Bobby, but if he didn't want it, she'd take it back, then. But, how? She couldn't get into the bunker as herself, and there was no way that Sam would fall for the old cat trick again. It angered her to see the look of distaste on Sam's face as he leafed through it. Didn't he realize what he was holding? It was a veritable treasure trove. Whoever held that book, and used it correctly, could have anything they had ever wanted.

"What's that you're looking at, Sam?" Jody asked.

He brought the book over to her and dropped it on the table. Rowena's fur stood on end and she hissed angrily. How dare he treat it like that? He was lucky she wasn't there right now. She'd claw his eyes right out of his head and then use them for cocktail onions.

Sam told Jody what it was, and Jody frowned. Witchcraft, huh? She knew from her association with the Winchesters that dark magic was a real thing but give her a gun or a knife any day. She paged through it half-heartedly as Sam talked, but then Jody closed the book. If it had nothing to do with the current situation, they shouldn't be wasting time with it, in her opinion.

"Can I look at it?" Becky piped up. Jody shot her a look, then shrugged and slid the book over to her. Becky might as well entertain herself. It's not like she was contributing anything, anyway.

Becky paged through the book, amazed at what she was seeing. There was a spell in here for everything. Here was the recipe for the love potion that Aurielle had tried on Castiel at the cabin. Wow. Becky had thought that Aurielle was her friend, but she had turned out to be their enemy. And now, she was out there with Lucifer. Becky had really dodged a bullet there. She wished she could try this love potion out on Sam, though. Then again, it obviously didn't work. Not only had Cas not fallen in love with Aurielle, he had killed her! No, thanks. Still, maybe she should study this book a bit more. It was obviously a really old book, and whoever wrote it seemed very knowledgeable to Becky. The fact that it was a book on witchcraft didn't concern Becky much. It wasn't like she was evil, or anything, just curious.

Rowena was looking closely at Becky's face as she leafed through the spell book. At least this girl seemed to have the proper respect for what she was looking at. Hmm. Rowena knew next to nothing about this young Angel, but thanks to her eavesdropping, she now knew that Becky loved Sam Winchester, but she was trifling with Kevin Tran, the young Angel that Rowena's son had had such an interest in when Kevin had been alive. Becky seemed enthralled with the spell book, looking at it with an expression of awe, rather than disgust.

Could Rowena mentor an ordinary Angel? The thought was interesting. Previously, such a thing would have been out of the question. But now that her Bobby was God, Heaven was changing, and so were some Angels, apparently. Maybe things were not as black and white as they used to be. Gail's brother had been a Knight of Hell, and now he was fighting on the side of Heaven. Chuck had been an evil Angel, cast down to Hell by God Himself, and he was now amongst the good guys, too. Though Rowena was not yet sold on Chuck's total reformation, Bobby seemed to trust him enough to include him in this little group of do-gooders. On the other hand, both Cas and Gail had been Demons recently, and just look at the former members of the Upper Echelon now, and how far those men had fallen. They had been among Heaven's most sanctimonious, and now they had gone down, hard. The lines were becoming blurred, and many of the group held erasers at the moment.

Gail, or Becky? Becky, or Gail? Another topic for Rowena to mull over. But this group was beginning to bore her now. There was no information to be gleaned here. They were just spinning their wheels at the moment. Still, she continued to watch a bit longer.

Jody yawned, closing the book she'd been studying. She had just read the same paragraph for the third time, and it still didn't make any sense to her. It was time to call it a night.

"Goodnight," she said to Sam and Becky.

"'Night, Jodes," Sam said. "You're taking Gail's old room. "I made up the bed this morning."

"Thanks, Sam," Jody said gratefully. She walked down the hall, grabbing her bag along the way.

Sam continued to try to read the book he'd been looking at, but he started to feel uncomfortable now that Jody was gone and he was alone with Becky. She was staring at him. He closed the book and manufactured a yawn, stretching. "I think I'll get some rest, too," he told Becky. "It's been a long day." He looked down at her for a moment as he stood up from his chair. Sam was a gentleman at heart, and he it felt kind of weird leaving Becky to sit out here all be herself. She was an Angel, so she didn't sleep. Was she just going to sit here like this all night?

She saw the look on his face, and Becky's heart melted. He did care about her; she just knew that he did. "It's OK, Sam," she told him. "You need your rest. I'm used to not sleeping by now. I might watch some TV, or something. At least Kevin won't be hogging the remote this time."

Sam's brow furrowed. What was she talking about? There were no TVs in Heaven.

Oh, crap. Becky knew from the puzzled look on Sam's face that she'd said something wrong. But she distinctly remembered Sam and Gail sitting here at this very table, watching her and Kevin watch TV. Bobby had said that Gail had been having some kind of trouble with her memory because of all the stress that she and Cas had been through, and so Becky had been very careful not to upset her friend by mentioning anything from the past when they had all been in training together. But Bobby hadn't said anything about Sam, and Becky was only talking about watching TV. What could be upsetting about that?

But of course, Sam's mind had also been wiped clean by God, so he had no recollection of Gail and Cas ever having been separated, or of anything that would have happened during that time. So he would not remember the young Angel couple having watched MTV in the bunker.

Sam shook his head as if to clear it. Whatever. Becky was obviously confused. Now he was starting to feel tired for real. "Sure, Becky. Watch all the TV you want," he said, shrugging. "See you in the morning."

Becky flopped down on the couch, intending to watch TV. But she'd taken the spell book to the couch with her, and as she continued to leaf through the pages, the TV was forgotten. There were spells for just about everything in here. On the last page, there was even a reanimation spell. Was that what Becky thought it was? She read the notes, and her eyes widened. It was a spell to bring someone back from the dead! Did it actually work? Did anyone here know about this? Would it work on people who had been dead for a while, like Angels? No; it said you needed a bone from the dead person for the spell. Crap. Still, Becky was intrigued by the idea. If it really worked, that was. Who knew?

Rowena continued to watch Becky for a few minutes. Now that the girl had moved closer to the mirror, Rowena could see which page of the book that Becky was looking at. Rowena was particularly proud of that spell; she had truly saved the best one for the last. As far as she knew, she was the only witch in existence to have mastered that one. Her own son had been the beneficiary of its successful execution, back when Castiel had killed Fergus in the botched attempt to rescue Gail from the den. Rowena had cast the spell to bring her son back from the dead, using his original bones from his original grave in Scotland. It was a complex spell, to be sure, but it did indeed work. Of course, she deeply regretted having brought Crowley back now. Rowena didn't like her son, and she was sure that they would have to butt heads again before too long. Especially if she were to decide to join Lucifer, which Rowena was seriously contemplating doing. But she was still on the fence about that. The idea of joining forces with the Devil to oppose Crowley was appealing to her, but Lucifer was likely to be the most Alpha Demon of them all. Did she really want to throw in with such a dominant being? Rowena liked to be the dominant one in any alliance. That was why she had been able to stay with her son for as long as she had. He may be the King of Hell, but he was also a bit of a pushover, if you knew how to handle him.

Becky had closed the book now, and she was just staring off into space. Now there was truly nothing left to see. Rowena waved her paw, and the image disappeared. Then she left the forest.

After a good night's sleep, Rowena thought that she would check up on the Angels who were out there, attempting to draw Lucifer to them. She herself had no idea where Lucifer would be; she had tried to use her magic to find him, but to no avail. She could only conclude that he was heavily shielded. But if one of the Angels were to flush him out, she could be there when they did.

Where to go first? Rowena had used the bunker's mirror to eavesdrop on Bobby as he'd given the Angels their assignments, so she knew who had gone where. One would think that Lucifer would go straight for Castiel first, as he represented the biggest threat. Or Gail, to devastate and immobilize Castiel. But Rowena didn't necessarily think so. Lucifer had been imprisoned for just about forever; he would want to savour his revenge. So he would probably go for the weaker Angels first, pick them off one by one. Linda, or Kevin?

Linda. Lucifer was an old being, and so he would think like one, automatically assuming that the female would be the weaker of the two, and therefore easier to take.

Rowena took the ingredients for the transportation spell out of her satchel, then put the remainder back inside once she was all set. She had a few cities to visit today.

Linda stood on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, looking up at the building. It was an impressive structure.

Bobby's instructions had been fairly general in nature. He'd simply told her to keep a high public profile, visiting tourist attractions as if she were on a holiday. Speak to as many people as possible and try to stand out in a crowd. When she'd first gotten here, that last part had greatly amused her. Had Bobby seen the vast numbers of people in New York City?

She'd brought a newspaper to take with her into the diner around the corner from her hotel. She bought a coffee just for show as she tried to decide where to go first. This was New York City; there was so much to choose from. But the Art Museum had spoken to her right away. Linda had tried her hand at painting when she'd been young, before the responsibilities of marriage and a child had intervened. She loved to look at paintings, studying the techniques and the colour usages of the artists. So, the Art Museum would be ideal for a start. Business and pleasure, combined.

She climbed the stairs and was approaching the front doors when a movement caught her eye. A black cat, sitting beside the entrance as if waiting to be let in.

"Are you here to see the art, too?" Linda said to the cat, reaching down to pat it on the head. "Maybe something by Meow-nay?" She could swear the cat's whiskers had twitched at that. Linda had to admit that had been a pretty good one on her part. She wished that someone had been around to hear it. Kevin, preferably. She knew her son only thought of her as his Mom, but Linda was a person in her own right too, with her own personality. Sometimes she wished that she and Kevin had been able to get along better as people when they had both been alive. But she had assumed the role of Tiger Mom when Kevin had been just a young boy, and she hadn't been able to let go of it, or of him. When Linda had found out how gifted Kevin was intellectually, she had begun to push him, wanting him to have the best of everything and all of the opportunities that would be available to him if he put his nose to the grindstone and applied himself. But of course, things hadn't worked out that way. The supernatural realm had seized her son, and that had been it. Now that she and Kevin were both Angels, it should be easier for them to communicate, since they didn't have Earthly problems any more. But now Linda was worried about Becky, and her suspicions that Becky was just using Kevin. And, of course, Kevin was out there in the world on his own right now, sent out by God to lure Lucifer out of hiding. And so was she. Linda had prayed all night last night, and again this morning that Lucifer would come for her, and not her son. She was looking forward to giving the Devil a swift kick in the same place she'd kicked Jason, and she would kick very hard.

Linda pulled open the door of the museum. It swung wide, and the cat entered the building at the same time as Linda did. The Angel didn't notice. She was too busy staring around the lobby in awe. What a beautiful, opulent place. She was going to enjoy this very much. But she'd better keep her guard up. She was here for a purpose, and it wasn't sightseeing.

As Linda walked slowly around the museum, looking at the paintings, Rowena followed discreetly behind. It was early in the morning and the place had just opened, so there weren't too many people around yet. Nobody noticed the black cat moving quietly from room to room, watching Linda.

Linda was in her element now. She spent time in front of each painting, enthralled. Every one she looked at was beautiful, in its own way. Suddenly, she had an urge to pick up a brush and try it for herself. Maybe once this was all over, she could ask Bobby for some art supplies. Heaven could use some colour, in Linda's opinion. All that white got really monotonous after a while.

Just then, a woman entered the room and rushed up to stand beside Linda, who looked at her warily. No black eyes, but you couldn't be too careful. That's why Linda had her ever-present holy water in her purse, along with her Demon knife. Bobby had given all of their blades special protection, so that they would not show up on any X-ray detectors. That was how Linda had been able to enter the museum with it in her purse. Like a lot of places in the city, the museum had a security gate you had to walk through first, before you could enter the museum proper. Linda had sighed when she saw that. Metal detectors at an art museum. She supposed it was a sign of the times, but it was a pretty pathetic one, in her opinion.

But the woman didn't look threatening to Linda, she just looked worried. "Have you seen my son?" she asked Linda. "He's only five. I turned my back for one second, and he was gone."

Linda smiled. She remembered when Kevin had been the same age, he had wandered off at the mall, and she had been frantic, searching everywhere for him. She had eventually found him, safe and sound, but his little butt had been spanked so hard that night that he had always stuck close to her side after that.

"What does he look like?" Linda asked the woman. "I can help you look for him."

"MOMEE!" A child, crying out at the top of his lungs. The women turned around to see a little boy running towards them at top speed.

"Yours, I assume?" Linda quipped.

The woman laughed with relief and bent down, opening her arms to her son. But just before he got to his mother, the boy tripped, and the juice cup he was holding flew out of his hand and hit in the centre of the painting's canvas. The lid came off of it at the same time, and the juice splashed all over the painting. Linda looked at the artwork, open-mouthed. What had been a gorgeous oil painting a moment ago was now reduced to a sopping wet, impressionist mess. They had metal detectors at the entrance, but they couldn't have sprung for some glass cases to protect the priceless art?

The boy's mother was so happy to have her son back that she was oblivious. She hugged him, then picked him up in her arms and hurried out of the room with him.

Linda stood there alone, looking at the painting in dismay. She guessed she should find a security guard, or something. Hopefully, they wouldn't think she had done it. Though that could be one way to draw attention to herself, she thought wryly. She didn't suppose the bars in a New York jail cell would be enough to keep Lucifer out.

Too bad she couldn't just clean it up herself, she thought. But as soon as she'd had that thought, something amazing happened. Her left arm started to glow, and the glow was golden in colour. She stared at it for a moment, astonished. Then she remembered: this must be the gift from Gail, what they had called her "essence".

Just for the hell of it, Linda lifted her arm and waved it at the painting. A beam of golden light shot out of her fingers and an instant later, the painting was restored to its original condition.

Wow. Linda couldn't believe it. Did Gail have that kind of power all the time? Her place must be spotless.

The glow left Linda's arm immediately, and she looked around the room. Still no one. She sighed. Even though she was glad that no humans had actually seen her do that, she thought that coming here might not have been such a hot idea after all.

Linda hurried out of the exhibit room. Rowena sat hidden behind a sculpture on a pedestal, and she was stunned by what she'd seen. What kind of magic was that? She'd never seen an ordinary Angel do anything like that before. But, where had Rowena seen a golden glow like that before? Her green cat's eyes widened. Gail! She had witnessed Gail touch each Angel designate back at the bunker, and a golden glow had emerged from her hand each time. Was Gail indeed a full-fledged Original now? If so, her stock had just gone up dramatically, in Rowena's opinion. It seemed that Rowena had been tracking the wrong Angel. She wound her way out of the room, then exited the museum.

Linda needed a few minutes to sit quietly and think. What had been the significance of what had just happened? In their world, everything meant something, it seemed. Had the accident with the painting been preordained somehow? And if so, why? To prove to Linda that there had been a point to Gail's having conferred her essence on them? Maybe they all had special powers now, or something. But she couldn't really see much use for this particular power in a life-or-death struggle. It was just...weird.

There was one other place that Linda had really wanted to visit, and it had nothing to do with the mission. Well, it sort of did, she rationalized. The place was a famous tourist attraction, after all. Though for all the wrong reasons.

She had walked a number of blocks to get here, and as Linda sat on the bench in front of the reflecting pool at the 9/11 Memorial, she bowed her head and said a prayer. Her uncle had been in one of those buildings. His death, and the way it had happened, had devastated her family. Linda had never been able to understand how people could do such horrifying things and try to justify them in the name of religion. And what was religion, exactly? It called itself by different names, and it wore different clothes when it left the house, but it all came down to one concept, in Linda's mind: living your life the right way. The Dalai Lama had said it best when he'd said: "My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." If more people would just practice that particular religion, there would be no need for places like this anymore.

Linda continued to sit there quietly for a few more minutes with her head bowed. Then, when she looked up, she saw a man standing at the railing of the pool. He was dressed in full firefighter gear, and he was staring at the spot where the buildings used to be with an anguished expression on his face. He must be here to remember his fallen comrades.

Linda walked up to the man and looked at his face. "I'm sorry for your loss," she told him quietly. "I lost someone here, too."

He looked at her sadly. "Who did you lose?" he asked Linda.

"My uncle," she said. "You?"

The man said nothing. He merely continued to regard her somberly.

"I'm sorry," Linda said hastily. "I shouldn't have asked you that." The man was obviously still deeply in mourning; tears were running down his cheeks now.

"I come here every day," he told her, his voice choking with emotion. "And every day, I meet someone who lost someone here. I guess that's why I'm still here, Linda. I can't let go. I just can't. If I'd only been a little faster, I could have saved her."

Linda was dismayed. He must have been one of the firefighters who had been there that day, trying to save all the people in those buildings before they'd collapsed. And he'd obviously lost someone special to him that day. A wife? A sister, maybe?

She reached out impulsively to hug him, but even though she was standing right next to him, she felt no contact. Her arms passed right through his body. What the hell? And he had called her by name!

"Thanks for trying," he said, a trace of a smile on his face. "I guess I should have told you. My name is Jake Sadler, Ladder 52. I died when Tower 2 came down, and my wife was working upstairs. I come here every day, looking for her. But she's never here. Why am I here, when she isn't?"

Linda had no idea what to say. Her heart broke for him. Jake's spirit was obviously tied to this spot, looking for closure. But there was no closure to be had for him here. His wife had obviously moved on, but he hadn't. "She'd probably in Heaven, Jake," Linda told him. "You need to let go, so that you can be there with her."

"I want to, but I can't!" he exclaimed. "I don't know why, but I just can't." Jake turned to look at the Memorial again. "I'm afraid people will forget, Linda. And they can never forget. Lucifer will build his army on the foundations of places like this, and they've already built another building here." He turned back to her. "You and the rest of the Angels, and your human friends, and God. Twelve, against an army of 144,000. Heaven's going to be overcrowded soon. Hell, too."

Chills ran up Linda's spine. He was right. What kind of a chance did they really have? But then she started to get angry. "What do you expect us to do, just give up?" she said to him sharply. "Did you give up when you ran up the stairs of that tower that day?"

"No, but I failed," he said miserably.

"At least you tried," she insisted. "That's all any of us can do. Don't be so hard on yourself, Jake. You need to let go."

Jake sighed. "Maybe. In the meantime, we'll be rooting for you, Linda."

"We?" she asked.

"All of us who wander the Earth in search of peace and serenity," he answered enigmatically.

Linda did a double-take. Was this guy a ghost, or an Earthbound Angel, or something else altogether? He sure spoke like an Angel. "Think about what I said," Linda said to him. "I won't ever forget my uncle, and I won't ever forget you. Or your...wife?"

Jake smiled. "Thank you, Linda. Yes, she was my wife. I hope I'll see you again, sometime." He began to walk away, his image growing dimmer, and then he disappeared.

Linda gaped after him. Wow. That had been surreal. She knew that ghosts existed, of course. Kevin himself had been one for a while, because he'd been reluctant to let go of his young life on Earth. And that seemed to be Jake's problem, too. Jake was trying to make sense of something that made absolutely no sense, and if he needed to do that in order to move on, he'd be here for eternity.

What a strange day she'd been having. Linda sat back down on the bench and after a moment's consideration, she took the cell phone out of her purse. Bobby had provided the phones to each of them as they'd headed out, with each other's numbers entered in under Contacts. She pushed Kevin's number.

Kevin was sitting under a tree on the grounds of the Indianapolis University. It was a beautiful fall day, and the leaves of the trees were ablaze with colour. Kevin had been just sitting here, chilling, when his mother called. Once he'd established that she wasn't calling due to an emergency, Kevin was annoyed, though he was glad she was fine, of course. He wasn't a young kid any more, and she needed to stop treating him as if he were. Bobby had said to only call each other if they needed help or had anything of significance to report. And while her stories had been both odd and interesting, Kevin couldn't see how they related to the current situation. So they had exchanged words of love and encouragement, and then he had hung up.

Kevin put his phone back in his pocket, shaking his head. He loved his mom, but she needed to let him off the leash. He was a grown man now.

Still, he had come to this school first, so maybe Kevin wasn't quite as ready to embrace adulthood as he thought. He missed school sometimes. He had been one of the smartest students in the entire place, if not the smartest. That wasn't Pride, it was simply the truth. It had been that way for Kevin ever since he'd been a young child. He would never admit this to her, of course, but he'd been glad she'd pushed him to achieve academically. He might have wasted his gift otherwise, attending beer bashes and trying to hook up with girls. But it hadn't mattered in the end, and now Kevin wished he had done some of those things, because now, he never would. All around him there were young men and women sitting on the grass together and talking about the awesome parties they had been to, and some of them were making out. Kevin had been cheated out of those opportunities, and he was a little bitter about it. Once he had been outed as a Prophet, it had been all over for human Kevin. He could hardly remember a time when his life hadn't sucked. What he wouldn't give to be one of those carefree young students.

But there were others who didn't look so happy. Some of the students were moving a bit strangely, and their eyes were wide and unfocused. Almost like zombies, or something. Weird.

As Kevin continued to watch these students, he saw a group of them gather in a circle, almost as if they were in a football huddle. Kevin was curious, so he got to his feet and walked casually to the area where they were, so he could try to overhear their conversation.

"I've got ten grand," one of them said. "But I know that's not nearly enough."

"I've got twice that," another said. "But I know he's not going to be satisfied with that, either. We have to find a way to get more, somehow."

Kevin almost let out a low whistle. They had that much money, and they needed more? That kind of money was unheard of for students, unless they had rich parents, of course. Must be nice.

"Let's go make the delivery, then," the first student said. "Hopefully, he won't freak out this time."

They started to walk away, and Kevin stared after them. Drugs, maybe? This "he" must be the boss of a student theft ring, or something. Should he be doing something? Calling the cops, maybe?

Kevin shrugged inwardly. Bobby hadn't left him any particular instructions on what to do here, or what to look out for. So he started to follow them, just to see where they would go.

He followed them to a fancy hotel a few blocks away from the University. Kevin hung back discreetly as they went to the elevator and got in. Funny, nobody had looked at the young people twice. He would have thought that such a snooty hotel would have tighter security. But no one seemed to notice the students, and no one seemed to take note of Kevin, either. So he walked to the elevator and got in with the rest of them, arranging his facial features into the same trance-like expression they had. None of them looked at him, either. He didn't know if they thought he was just another guy in the elevator, but Kevin was surreptitiously studying their faces, trying to figure out what was going on here.

They all exited the elevator and walked to the end of the hallway. There were two large double doors there, and one of the students knocked on it. Kevin hung back at the rear of the group. He'd wait to see who answered the door, and what was said.

A very attractive woman answered the door.

"How much have you got?" she said without preliminary.

"About fourty thousand, between us," the spokesman said. He motioned to the others to hand Aurielle their money.

Crap. Kevin didn't have any. "Sorry, wrong room," he mumbled. "I thought this was where the party was." He turned abruptly and walked quickly down the hall and around the corner.

Aurielle was busy counting the money she was being handed, so she had never looked at Kevin's face. And by the time she looked up again, he was gone. Kevin hadn't recognized her in her new vessel, of course. Aurielle was a Demon now, so she no longer had the Angel radar. And Lucifer was back in the bedroom, changing into one of the new suits he'd bought for his first TV appearance. He wanted to project just the right image to his public. When Aurielle opened the suite doors, Lucifer's head had snapped up, like a bloodhound catching a scent. He hadn't opened his mind to try to find any of them yet. His priority now was to get his Ministry set up. He now had enough money to buy his way onto TV, and he was getting ready to write his first sermon. Thus preoccupied, he didn't act on the signal right away, and so he shook it off as a false alarm. There was no way any of them would know where he was, or who he was now.

When he was dressed, Lucifer came out to the living room area.

"More deliveries," Aurielle said, tossing the money into the basket, which was now sitting on the coffee table.

"Good. I'll need it," Lucifer told her. "I'm going down to the TV station now, to buy our airtime." He reached into the basket and took out a couple of stacks of larger-denomination bills, putting them in his jacket pocket. Then he looked at her. "You may as well come with me. Your presence could be helpful if further persuasion is needed." He flashed her a wolfish smile. She really did look quite fetching. Aurielle had bought a couple of new outfits that accentuated her curves, and she was teaching herself how to apply makeup to highlight her best facial features.

Aurielle smiled. She was gorgeous now, and she knew it. Castiel would be very attracted to her, she was certain. Lucifer had promised her that once he had made the arrangements for his TV Ministry, he would facilitate a way for her to see Castiel. The Angels were currently separated, on Bobby's orders, Lucifer had told her. If she would just be patient a little bit longer, he would help her to get to Castiel.

They left the suite for the TV station.

Cas WAS separated from Gail, of course, but they were currently on the phone with one another. He hadn't been able to stand not talking to her, so Cas had called her that morning.

"What's wrong, Cas?" she asked him, alarmed.

"Nothing," he assured her. "I just wanted to hear your voice, and to make sure you were all right."

"I'm fine, Cas. How are you?" she asked him.

"Terrible," he answered. "Missing you."

"I miss you, too," she replied. "It's tough being here without you. All I can think of is how good things were when you and I were here together. Up until that last part, of course," she quipped.

"I thought about you all night, last night," he said softly.

Gail smiled. "Same here. I thought about holding your hand and kissing your cheek. Us watching TV together. You know, stuff like that."

Now he smiled. "Is that all we were doing?" he teased her.

"Well...there might have been a couple of other things," she teased back.

"I can't wait for the opportunity to do a lot of things with you again," he said lightly.

Gail rolled her eyes. He was killing her. "Once again, same here," she said in a soft voice. "And I look forward to the opportunity to have you do those things to me."

Cas groaned. "Don't talk like that, or I may just have to desert my post for an hour or three," he said.

Gail laughed. "You're already breaking the rules by calling me. Bobby said no contact, unless it was an emergency." The instructions in her envelope had been very explicit on the matter. They were to stay in their separate cities, and only call each other if it was really urgent. She had been dismayed to see that. Why was Bobby so adamant that they should stay apart?

"Since when have you known me to adhere to the rules?" Cas said, matching her soft tone.

Gail laughed again. That was certainly true. "OK, you've got me there," she said to him. "So, what are you going to do today?"

"I don't know," Cas said in reply. His instructions had been as non-specific as Linda and Kevin's had been: go out to public places, keep a high profile. And that was pretty much it. But Bobby had given Cas his own warning, verbally: no Las Vegas, and no Gail. He supposed Bobby was trying to help, figuring that the two of them in Las Vegas together might prompt some more of her memories to come back. But it felt wrong, him being here without her. And Gail in Las Vegas without him, all alone and vulnerable. Metatron had already murdered her there once, and he was also out there on the loose, along with Aurielle and Lucifer, of course. Cas was very afraid for her safety. It was taking everything he had not to pop over there right now. But Bobby had told him that they were all soldiers, and they were on a mission. So he would try to do what God was asking of him.

"There was a newspaper in front of my door this morning," Cas told her. "I suppose I could look to see what some of the events around town are. I'm supposed to go where there are a lot of people. Maybe you can help me to decide. Hold on." He put the phone down on the bed and grabbed the newspaper, then picked the phone back up. "Are you still there, Gail?"

She heard the pages of the newspaper rustling. "I'm still here," she said, smiling. "Why don't you put me on speaker? It'll be easier to look through the paper that way."

But he didn't want to do that. He liked hearing her voice directly in his ear. It would be easier to pretend she was here with him, then. Cas could imagine her beside him, talking softly to him. He could imagine her warm breath in his ear. Maybe her lips would graze him, if he leaned close. He would listen to whatever she had to say, and then he would turn to her and kiss her. He could read the paper with one hand and cuddle her with the other. But now he was making himself nuts again. He'd better stop, or he'd be imagining himself all the way to Las Vegas.

"There's the Space Needle, of course. And a place by the waterfront called Pike's Fish Market. Oh, and there's a baseball game," Cas told her. "It's too bad you weren't here. I know you would enjoy that."

Gail smiled, delighted that he remembered. It was true; she was a baseball fan. She had been hoping to see a game with him sometime; if not live, then at least on TV. He wouldn't know much about it, of course, but she could explain the rules to him as they watched. She thought he would enjoy the cerebral aspects of the game, the strategies involved. But they hadn't had the time. Now she felt sad. They should be doing stuff like that together. But there were much bigger things going on right now, and this wasn't about the two of them.

"Do that last one," Gail told him. "There will be tons of people at the game. It's the stretch drive for the playoffs. Who is Seattle playing?"

Another rustle of the paper. "You're not going to believe this," he told her, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "The Los Angeles Angels."

Gail laughed. "There, you see? It's a sign. Now you have to go. Maybe you could pick up a glove and play in the outfield." She had amused herself with that one, but Cas wouldn't know about that movie either, of course.

"OK, I'll do that," Cas said. Now he really wished she was going with him. He didn't know much about the game, but she could have explained it to him. They had been so wrapped up in his world, and his problems. He would love to be able to expand his scope of knowledge by learning about some of her interests. And, she would look cute in a baseball cap.

"Make sure you root for the right team," she teased.

Her comment had been in innocent fun, of course, but Cas frowned. It wasn't too long ago that he had been on the wrong team. And now he had been weakening again, thinking of her all alone in a hotel room, likely sitting on her bed, as he was sitting on his. Who would it hurt if he were to pop over there for about an hour? She would be happy to see him. He knew she would. He would take her in his arms and kiss her, again and again. Then they could slowly take each other's clothes off and get into bed together. He would kiss and lick every inch of her, and then, when they both couldn't stand it anymore, he would slip inside of her. They would move together as one, and he would look at her face as he made love to her. She would be smiling, telling him how much she loved him. Then, when he was done, he would lay her gently back on the pillows and move down her body, making love to her with his tongue. She would hold his head and cry out his name. Then they would cuddle and talk, and then they could try it another way, if she wanted. Maybe he would be behind her this time, so that he could touch her all over. Maybe she would be on top of him. But, whichever way they chose, there would be lots of kissing, and many words of endearment. No roughness, and no bruises. How he had ever allowed himself to treat her that way was still a mystery to Cas, Demon or not. He loved her beyond measure. That she was even with him at all, and speaking to him lovingly, was a miracle. His Father had given him the most wonderful of blessings when He had sent Gail into Castiel's life, and he needed to always treat her like the precious gift she was. He would go to the baseball game, because he knew it would make her happy that he was going to share in something she liked. The next time they saw each other, he could tell her all about the experience, and ask her all kinds of questions. Then, when their mission was complete, they could watch a game together. He couldn't wait for that to happen.

"I love you, Gail," Cas said into the phone.

"I love you, too," she replied. "Think of me at the ballgame. Too bad you can't have a beer, and a hotdog. That's one of the best parts."

Cas smiled. Now, he was picturing her with a foamy beer moustache, and a touch of mustard from the hotdog at the corner of her mouth. He would take a napkin and gently wipe it away, and they would laugh. "Of course I'll think of you at the baseball game," he said to her. "I think about you all the time."

What a sweet thing to say, Gail thought. Now she was picturing him at the game, watching the action on the field. Trying to figure out why the runner at first base was trying to steal the next base. Wasn't that dishonest? Gail grinned. "Make sure you give me a full report on the game. I'm eager to hear what you thought about it," she said to him. "That is, when we see each other next. We're not really supposed to be talking like this."

Cas smirked at that. "You know I'll be calling you right after the game, don't you?"

Gail continued to smile. "Yeah, Cas, I figured you would." Then her smile faded. "Stay safe, OK?" Now she was conflicted. In a way, the sooner Lucifer came after one of them, the better. That was why they were all out there, wasn't it? But the thought of Lucifer going after Cas scared her to death. She knew Cas's powers were considerable, but so were Lucifer's, she was sure. And Castiel would probably be the first one of them Lucifer would go for, as he would be the biggest threat.

"I will," Cas replied. Truthfully, he wasn't that worried about a physical confrontation with Lucifer, or either of the other two former Angels. Castiel knew his fighting skills were the best that Heaven had to offer. As long as he didn't give Lucifer a chance to get into his head, he should be fine. But what about Gail? Yes, she knew how to fight too, and she had additional powers, but he doubted that would be enough to protect her.

"Did Crowley tell you anything that would be of help?" he asked her suddenly.

Gail shrugged, even though he couldn't see her. "Not really," she answered. "There's the animals attacking thing, but that's about it when it comes to self-defense. Maybe I should go back to the Secret Garden and let all the big cats out of their cages," she joked.

The Secret Garden. Cas remembered that place. He had loved it. It hurt his heart that she might be going there without him. He was disappointed she hadn't found out anything more useful, though. She was much too vulnerable.

"Are you going to the Secret Garden, then?" he asked her.

"I thought I might, just for a short while," Gail replied. It was funny; Bobby's instructions to her had been very specific. He had instructed her to go there, among other things. That had been a little curious to her. It had seemed oddly specific, and when she and Cas had been there, there hadn't been that many people around. But Bobby had said for her to go, and she really didn't mind. She'd really liked the place. It was a shame she couldn't go with Cas, though. She knew he had really liked it there, too. They could sit on a bench and hold hands, and talk.

"Well, think of me when you go there," Cas said.

"Of course I will. I think about you all the time," Gail responded, echoing his sentiment of earlier.

Cas sighed. "I hate this," he said.

"I do, too," Gail agreed. "But we'll just have to make the best of it for now. Root for the Angels for me, and I'll tell the tigers you miss them. There's a baseball team called the Tigers, too, by the way," she added, smiling. "But we'll talk about that another time."

"Please stay safe, Gail," Cas said, his voice very serious now. "And if you need anything, anything at all, just call. I'll have my phone with me, of course, but you won't even need to call me that way. Just think my name loudly in your head and I'll be there immediately, wherever you are."

"I will," Gail told him. She was sorely tempted to do that, right now. This was nuts. They should be together. She had been picturing many of the same things he had been. Strolling down the Strip together, looking at the fountains. People-watching. Seeing happy couples on vacation and being among their number. Then, when it got too hot outside, they could come back here for a while, to cool off. Things probably wouldn't stay cool for long, though. Not once Cas started to kiss her. She would give him her tongue, and his hands would lift her top, touching her bare skin. Then they would take their clothes off and spend a glorious hour or so making love. Now that they were able to do that as Angels, it seemed like she spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about it. She was picturing him caressing her body, his tongue in her mouth. His hand would slip in-between her legs, and he would begin to lazily stroke her there. She would reach for him, but he would shake his head. Not yet. He wanted to meet her needs first. So she would touch his face instead, and as his fingers sped up, she would move with them, and he would smile, happy to be making her feel so good. She would close her eyes, lost in the feeling, and he would be kissing her face, telling her how much he loved her. Then she would open her eyes so she could look at him, and then she would cry out, because he was making her feel so wonderful. And then, when he was sure that she was satisfied, he would move on top of her, or he might then let her move down his body to make love to him, if she insisted. She might not even give him the choice. Ever since they had gotten back from the cabin and discovered they could be together in that way, he had put her first every time in that regard. It was sweet, and it was extremely unselfish, but it drove her nuts, too. What they did together was a mutual expression of love, and she wanted to make sure that he was as satisfied as she was. She thought she wouldn't even mind sometimes if he just pulled her to him and entered her or positioned himself by her mouth for her to take him. But that wasn't his way. She supposed that she should be glad that he put her first. There were probably a lot of other men who weren't nearly as unselfish. It was funny, though. She had fantasized about herself and Cas a lot last night, just as she was doing now, but every once in a while, a very different picture had popped into her head, out of the blue. Cas was behind her, and he was pushing himself into her. It still felt good, but there was some pain, too. His hand was clamped down on her hip, and he was licking her back. That part felt good, but she had experienced a sudden pain there, right before he had started to lick her. But that would never happen. He would never hurt her intentionally, and if she ever told him that anything he was doing hurt, he would stop immediately. Was her mind just making up scenarios in which she could envision them being intimate? Just how perverted was she, anyway, if she could imagine something like that? She was an Angel; she'd better start acting like one. Just because they could probably do anything they chose to in the privacy of their bedroom, that didn't mean she should be thinking about it all the time. It was probably just because they were forced to be apart now, and they had never been apart like this, not since she had become an Angel. Apparently, absence did make the heart grow fonder. And it seemed that it might do the same for a few other body parts, as well. But she and Cas would just have to suck it up for now. Think of how happy and loving their eventual reunion would be.

She told him this last thought now, and he agreed. Then they did the "you hang up first" thing for a few minutes. Gail grinned. It was a good thing Dean wasn't there; they'd be driving him crazy with that. She'd always thought that couples who did that were a little sickening, herself. But now, she could completely understand it. Especially in their circumstances. Most couples didn't have the fear of imminent attack from evil former Angels hanging over their heads.

They hung up at the same time, and Cas looked at his phone fondly for a moment, then put it in his pocket. Then he rose from the bed and grabbed his blazer, checking the inside pocket for his blade, as he always did. It was a good thing that Bobby had shielded their weapons from detection by any mechanical devices. He was fairly certain that there would be some sort of apparatus for that at the baseball park. But there was no way he could ever go out in public without it, especially now.

Cas inquired at the front desk, and the clerk gave him instructions on how to walk to the ballpark. It was a glorious fall day, and he enjoyed the fresh air on the way there. Luckily, they were playing a game in the daytime; it would be very pleasant to sit in the stands and feel the sun on his face.

He bought a ticket and walked around the outside of the stadium, waiting for the gates to open. When they did, Cas entered the ballpark and looked around, enjoying the sights and the sounds. He could smell the hotdogs and peanuts, and for a moment, he wished he did eat, just so he could enjoy the full experience. But, no matter. He found his seat and looked at the field, watching the players warm up. Seattle wore green, and the Angels wore red. At least he could keep them straight that way. He wished the Angels wore blue, though. He knew that was Gail's favourite colour.

Then the game started, and Cas tried to follow along. Certain aspects were easy to figure out. If the man with the bat hit the ball and it dropped onto the grass, he would run around the bases until he could safely stop. The defender would throw the ball back in, and the next batter would step in to face the pitcher. If the next batter hit the ball too, but it was caught by the other team, the batter would be out. Then another batter would take his turn, and so on, until three men were out. Then the teams would switch sides. Simple, so far. But, certain things puzzled him. One man hit the ball far out into the field, and the man with the glove caught it, but the man standing on second base ran over to the third base, and he just stood there. But the ball had been caught. How, then, was the man allowed to advance to the next base? Then the next man came up to bat, and he hit the ball to the field, and that ball was also caught. But the man on third base ran to the home base, and everyone cheered. Then the number on the scoreboard for Seattle changed to 1, signifying that Seattle, who were apparently called the Mariners, had successfully scored. But how could that be? The Angels had caught the baseball, twice. Were the Mariners cheating in some way? Maybe they should be called the Demons, he thought with some amusement. He'd have to remember to tell Gail that one. And he would definitely be asking her about the rules as they applied to this situation. The game was obviously more complex than he'd originally thought. This appealed to him. It was a physical game that had cerebral aspects to it. And the day was so pleasant. The sun warmed him, but the temperature was cool enough, and Cas was enjoying watching the spectacle. He was beginning to understand why Gail liked it so much. Cas had missed out on some of the simple Earthly pleasures due to various circumstances at various times in his existence, especially recently. But he vowed that once the current crisis was resolved, he and Gail would spend more time doing things like this together. He wanted to enjoy her companionship and engage her mind, in addition to indulging in the physical pleasures they enjoyed with each other. He was sure she would want that, too. In fact, he knew where he was going to go next, after the game was over. There was another love of hers that he remembered he'd wanted to revisit.

The Angels tied the game up, and Cas applauded. A few people looked at him and frowned, but he guessed he could understand that. He was in Seattle, after all. But he had to root for the Angels, didn't he?

The contest continued for a while with no further result, and then a player for the Angels, who had the name of a fish, oddly enough, hit the ball over the fence with an Angel already on base. Cas stood up and cheered, and everyone around him frowned again. He sat down, offering them a sheepish grin, and a few of them grumbled, telling him the game wasn't over yet. But they seemed resigned. The Mariners had only one more chance to score, and a few people told Cas that their team had been having a lot of trouble scoring this year. Their Mariners wouldn't be going to the playoffs once again this fall, they told him. Yet they kept on coming out to the games, cheering their team on to victory. Cas thought that was sweet, and it signified hope in the face of all odds, a sentiment he could identify with and appreciate. Now he almost felt like rooting for the Mariners. But the Angels prevailed, and once the game was over, the people sitting near him congratulated Cas, almost as if he had played in the game himself. He thought that was very kind. It was people like this that they were opposing Lucifer to save. He hoped the fact that the Angels had won this contest was a good omen for the future.

Gail didn't have far to go. Bobby had made arrangements for her to stay in the middle of the Strip, presumably for maximum visibility. And the hotel she was staying in housed the Secret Garden, so all she had to do was go downstairs.

She paid her admission and walked down to look at the big cats. Most of them were alert and walking around in their cages. The day was new, and the temperature was still moderate. Later on, they would be napping in the shade. She went to each individual cage to observe the animals for a while. When she got to the cage that held the white tigers, Gail waggled her fingers at them. "Cas says hi," she said softly. They regarded her curiously, almost as if they knew what she was saying, and Gail smiled.

Then she walked over to a bench and sat down, enjoying the mildness of the morning. In addition to her obvious problem being back in Las Vegas all alone, it was strangely ironic that Bobby would send her to a city that had the potential to get very hot, temperature-wise. She hated the heat. Lucky that she was an Angel, then; imagine spending eternity in Hell, with the heat there. No wonder Crowley was so prickly all the time.

So far she was the only one here, and the atmosphere was very serene. Gail was sure things wouldn't stay this way for long, though. It seemed that they never did, for them. She really wished Cas was here with her, enjoying the peace and quiet. She remembered that when the sensory input of Las Vegas had become too much for Castiel to bear, she had brought him here. He had loved it, and they'd spent an idyllic hour or two here before the crowds of people had started to come. Then, later on that day, Metatron had killed her at the Supernatural convention. Then had come the tribunal. That was a perfect example of the way their lives had gone: calm, storm, then mega-storm. And the biggest storm of them all was about to come. She could feel it.

Cas was happy after the baseball game, and as he'd said he would, he called Gail immediately afterwards.

He told her about the experience. "It was fantastic," he enthused. "But parts of it were quite confusing." He gave her a couple of examples of things he'd seen that he didn't understand, and she laughed merrily.

"I can understand your confusion," Gail told him. "Just wait; I'll make you into an expert, eventually. And there are a couple of rules that I still don't understand myself. So don't feel too bad."

"Like the one that says that we can't be together right now?" Cas blurted out.

Gail sighed. "Yeah. Like that one."

Why had he gone and said that? Now he had made her sad. Just because he was sad didn't mean he had to make her feel that way, too.

"Where are you right now?" Cas asked her, trying to change the subject.

"The Secret Garden," she replied. "Although I'm probably going to leave shortly. More people are coming in now, and it's getting noisier. It was so serene first thing this morning, though. You would have loved it."

Silence. Now they were both depressed. He missed her so much it was a physical ache, and Gail felt like someone had cut off one of her arms.

"I don't know why Bobby sent me here to the Garden," Gail said suddenly. "It seems kind of pointless."

"Bobby sent you there?" Cas asked her, curious.

"Yes, there were written instructions in the envelope. Didn't you get any?" she said.

"No, not really," Cas replied. "Nothing specific, anyway. Just to go out to public places and be visible." And to stay away from you, he thought. But he didn't say that, of course.

"Huh," Gail said absently. Odd. "What are you going to do now that the ballgame is over?"

"I think I'll let this one be a surprise," Cas said evasively. "But the next time we see each other, we're going to have a lot to talk about. We can't just spend all of our time in bed, you know," he added in a light tone. But then he cursed himself. He should not have said that. She wouldn't remember, of course, but when they had both had diseased blood, that was precisely what they had done.

But she smiled and said, "Says who?" She was teasing, of course, and she knew that he had been, too. But she wished he hadn't said that, because now she was thinking about it again. She pictured them upstairs in her room, and he was kissing her. They had been in that bed for the entire day, and their phones were shut off. His lips were gently grazing her skin, and he was caressing her body. Then he began to use his tongue, and she was telling him how much she loved him. Why couldn't they just stay here forever, while whatever battles there might be raged on outside? Why were they always the ones who had to make the sacrifices? Hadn't they both paid their debt in blood already?

More and more people were entering the Garden now, and Gail told Cas she was moving on to the next task. His brow furrowed at that comment. Why had Bobby given her specific tasks, when he had none? It was starting to make Cas feel uneasy. Did Bobby know something the rest of them didn't? Was he using Gail to attract one, or all, of their enemies? Bobby had actually suggested that they were all bait, but something about this didn't sit right with Cas. He should just go to her now, right now. Screw the instructions. But then he thought about the people at the ballgame, and Sam and Dean, and their other human friends. They all had their parts to play, and they had to do their duty, or Lucifer could very well prevail. The current situation made no sense to him, but really, what else was new? Castiel had spent centuries in the service of God, and it had always been the same: Don't question, just obey. And he was trying. Boy, was he trying. But it was so difficult. Every minute he spent apart from her was torture. She was wandering around out there all alone, and he could sense that the vultures were circling. And, selfishly, he just wanted to be with her, feeling her hand in his and seeing her smiling up at him. They could complete her tasks together, and then they could go upstairs together and just lock the world away for a while. He could visualize them touching each other, and he could feel himself inside of her. That was the way things were supposed to be.

"I'd better go," Cas said to her. "I'm about one second away from just popping over there."

Gail smiled sadly. "And I'm about one second away from asking you to," she told him. She sighed. "Oh well, on to the next task."

"I may not call you for a bit," Cas said. "It's too difficult. But please, call me if you need anything. Promise me, Gail. If you sense any danger, or if anything seems strange to you, just think my name. Please. I won't be OK unless I know you're safe. And God help anyone who tries to come for you," he growled.

Gail's smile turned genuine. That was the Cas she knew and loved. Docile and loving with her and their friends, formidable and deadly with their enemies. She'd certainly seen evidence of that in the cabin. Maybe a little too much ferocity, even. But she must have PTSD, as Bobby had suggested, because Gail couldn't remember a lot of details of exactly what Cas had done there. She knew he'd killed Aurielle, then had set Gail herself free, and then he had killed Metatron. Jason was still alive, but he was in Heaven's prison. At least, he was as far as Gail was aware. He wasn't, of course; Jason was currently in Purgatory, and he was in his element, happily torturing and killing. But she couldn't remember exactly how Cas had subdued Jason. Just then, a woman walked by Gail with a purple T-shirt on, and Gail stared at it, mesmerized. Suddenly, her mind was associating that colour with Cas. But why?

She shook it off. She'd better go. "I promise, Cas. I'll talk to you later." They hung up, and she left the Garden.

Cas wandered around downtown Seattle for a while until he found a bookstore. He bought the rest of the series of books about the boy wizard, the ones he hadn't gotten around to reading in London. Then he found a bench by a fountain, and he sat down to read. He kept an eye on his surroundings, of course, but soon he was lost in the narrative again. In a way, he felt that this story was an allegory of the situation they were facing right now. There was an evil entity out there, and the forces of good had to defeat him and his followers. Even though they were very different personalities, Cas could see himself as the hero of the story. The evil wizard had put his mark on the boy and had targeted him as his main foe. Castiel had only met Lucifer that one time at the cage, but he had felt his Brother's rage and envy towards him then. Cas was sure that Lucifer would set his sights on him very soon. And Gail was the girl who was the boys' friend in the story. They were both highly intelligent, and they both had a lot of spirit. That was certainly a very apt comparison. Then an amusing thought occurred to Cas. There was one character in the stories whose motivations seemed a little ambiguous. He seemed to be on the side of good, but this character also hated the main character, and his status and which side he was truly on remained in question. Could that be Crowley? The descriptions matched, all the way down to the dark clothing and the dour expression. Then Cas shook his head. He must be lovesick, if he was thinking amusing thoughts about Crowley now. But so far, today had been a day of hope. First, the Angels had won the ballgame, and now a ragtag team of different people was going up against the most evil wizard there had ever been. As he read on, Cas became increasingly sure that both of their groups would prevail.

Gail entered the casino, slipping the piece of paper with Bobby's instructions out of her pants pocket to consult it again. Yep, that's what it said, all right: She was to find a slot machine with a huge jackpot available and play it for a while. Was Bobby short on funds in Heaven? she thought with amusement. She supposed if by some miracle she were to win, she would garner a lot of attention. But what were the odds of that happening, really? Still, those were her instructions, so...

She found a bank of slot machines which advised a jackpot of just over two million dollars. That would certainly do it, she thought. So she sat down and began to play. But after about ten minutes, she was almost out of the money she had put in the machine. This was turning out to be pointless, too. She was looking around, but the casino was still fairly quiet, and no one was paying any attention to her. She hit the button once more, and five-dollar sign symbols appeared across the screen. Wait a minute. Wasn't that...?

Bells started going off on her machine, and a message flashed across the screen that she had won the jackpot. Two million dollars? They had to be kidding.

People were starting to gather around her now, and she looked at them, scanning their faces. Nobody looked particularly sinister or suspicious, just happy for her, and envious, too. The slot attendant approached her, offering her congratulations. "That's been due to go for a while now," the girl told Gail. "Have you been playing long?"

"No, I just sat down about ten minutes ago," Gail said dazedly. She still couldn't believe it. Was this really happening? The human side of her brain started thinking about all of the things she and Cas could do with the money. They could buy a house, take a trip, or he could get a new car, if he wanted one. Anything, really. But they wouldn't be doing any of those things, of course. Still, it was neat to think about doing them for a couple of minutes.

The slot attendant gave her a form to sign, then said, "We'll be back in a minute, to give you the cheque and take your picture. We publish the names and photos of our big jackpot winners in the daily paper, and also online. So I hope you're not anywhere you shouldn't be right now," she teased.

Gail smiled. She guessed she was exactly where she was supposed to be. How had Bobby known? Yes, he was God, but how could he have known where she was going to go, or which machine she was going to pick? Still, they'd better not tell Dean about this; he'd be pestering Bobby for gambling tips every day.

So pictures were taken of Gail with an oversize cheque, and with all the hoopla the casino could muster. Big jackpots were good advertising for them. People would see that lots of money had been won there, and then they would want to try it, too; after all, it could be them, next. She could certainly understand that, from a marketing standpoint. And also, it made sense for what they were trying to accomplish, to a certain extent. She was certainly very visible right now, wasn't she? And her name and picture would be online shortly, for anyone in the world to see. As she smiled for the picture, Gail's blood ran cold. Anyone.

The manager of the casino arrived and congratulated her. He wanted to know how she would like to receive the money. Did she want a cheque, or did she just want the funds electronically wired into her bank account?

Good question, Gail thought. She tried to remember if she and Cas even had a bank account, and she found that she couldn't. "I guess I'll take a cheque," she told the casino manager.

"OK but are you here alone?" he asked.

"Why do you ask?" she countered warily.

"Security reasons," he replied. "That's a lot of money."

Gail realized he was right, but she couldn't help but be amused. It wasn't money that any of her enemies would be coming after her for, and all the guns in the world wouldn't provide enough protection from them. "No, that's OK," she told him. "I have my own security."

He looked at her curiously, but then he shrugged. He had done his due diligence. He congratulated her again and gave her his card, telling her she could pick up the cheque at the cashier's cage in an hour.

Gail stood there for a moment after the casino personnel went back to work, and the crowd started to disperse. That had been kind of fun. She would have to take the cheque directly up to her room and lock it in the safe. Later, she could talk to Cas about which charities he thought they should donate to. They couldn't keep the money for themselves, she thought. That wasn't the way things were supposed to work for Angels. Oh, well. They didn't need a lot, anyway. As long as they had each other, they would be just fine. There were a lot more serious things to think about at the moment, anyway.

Still, as she walked through the casino and saw all the people drinking, eating, and laughing, Gail started to feel sad again. She and Cas didn't even have each other at the moment, not really. The first impulse she had had after winning that jackpot was to call and tell him about it, of course. They could spend a few minutes laughing, fantasizing about what they would do with all of that money. Think of all the baseball games they could attend. But she didn't even feel like calling him right now. Every time they spoke on the phone, they just seemed to remind themselves of how much they missed each other. Everything she saw here reminded her of him. She had seen the poker room, and she remembered the time Cas had won several thousand dollars in one of those. Well, she sure had him beat now, as far as big jackpots were concerned. He had also punched out that guy, the one who had called her a very derogatory name, and she had been oddly pleased about that. That was the day of the first night that she and Cas had been intimate for the first time. They had been humans then, of course, but the love was the same.

Now she felt lonely, not just for Cas, but for their friends. She wondered how Sam and Dean were. They were separated from each other, too. She wondered if it was as weird for them as it was for her and Cas. Probably; they were together just as much. Hmm. Bobby hadn't said anything about calling either brother.

She sat down in one of the lounges and pulled out her cell phone, punching in Dean's number.

"Hi," Gail said when he answered. "How are you? How are Frank, and my fellow Angels?"

"Everybody's OK, Gail," he replied. "How are you?"

"I'm OK, Dean. But I miss all of you guys like crazy. What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Just driving around from town to town right now," Dean told her.

"Have you seen any Demons?" Gail inquired.

"Plenty," Dean answered, and she could hear the disgust in his voice. "Crowley's pretty much emptied the place, it looks like. But so far, they've been behaving themselves. I'm not sure why Bobby's got us out here, to be honest. The Demons have been giving us the stink-eye, but they've left us alone so far, and we're leaving them alone, even though it's really hard. I think your brother's gonna have a stroke soon."

Gail laughed. She could just imagine. It was almost cruel to send Hunters out there, and then tell them not to kill Demons. She started to wonder. Was this some sort of exercise in self-denial for them all?

"Have YOU seen any Demons?" Dean asked her. Truthfully, he was a little concerned about Gail, too. What was Bobby thinking, sending her out there all alone like that? Why wasn't Cas with her? And what about Linda, and Kevin? They were even less experienced, as far as fighting went. And here Dean was, with three other able-bodied men. OK, two of them were Angels, but, still. Ethan had been a cop in life, and Dean was pretty sure that Chuck could hold his own now. He liked to give Chuck a hard time, but Dean had actually been fairly impressed with Chuck's progress when he had seen him in training.

"No," Gail replied. "Funny, you would think that Vegas would be a great place for them. There's all the sin you could ever want here."

Dean laughed. He remembered. Up until that last night, the four of them had had a good time there. It had been hilarious to see Cas drunk, and it had been even funnier when he'd had a killer hangover the next morning.

"Hey, guess what happened to me a little while ago?" Gail said. She told Dean about winning the jackpot, and he was astonished. "Get out of here!" he exclaimed. She assured him she was serious, and Dean whistled. He started to talk excitedly about things they could do with the money, but Gail interrupted him, advising Dean that it would probably all go to charity.

Dean groaned loudly. "Come on, Gail. You might be an Angel, but you don't have to be a Saint too, do you? At least skim a little off the top, first. Get Cas a decent ride, I beg you."

She grinned. "Get thee behind me, car nut," she quipped. "It's the bad guys who are supposed to provide the temptation, not the good guys."

"Speaking of which, let's talk about what we're not talking about," Dean said, his voice turning serious. "Any sign of him yet? Or the others?"

"Nothing, at least not from my point of view," Gail replied. She sighed. "I almost wish he would just pop out from behind a pillar and attack me. It's too quiet. You know what I mean?"

"I know exactly what you mean," Dean agreed. He'd been feeling the same way. Dean had grown up in Kansas, and he knew the way that the sky looked and felt before a huge storm came. It felt like that now; the quiet was eerie. "Where's Cas?" he asked her suddenly.

"He's where Bobby sent him, in Seattle," she responded. "He went to a baseball game this morning, believe it or not." She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oops. Forget I said that. Bobby said we weren't supposed to call each other unless it was an emergency. I'm probably not supposed to be calling you right now, either."

Dean shook his head. Unbelievable. Not only was she there all alone, in a city where she'd already been murdered once, but now she was telling him she wasn't even allowed to have phone contact with any of them? What was up with that? Who was really pulling the strings here? Dean was tempted to call Bobby and ask him, but when they had questioned Bobby at the bunker, he had gotten prickly with them. The Angels seemed to just be accepting of their assignments, but based on Dean's experience with them, almost all Angels were sheeplike, used to doing what they were told. Cas must be foaming at the mouth, though. Maybe Bobby had let Cas in on the reasons behind their assignments. Otherwise, Dean was sure Cas would be sitting next to Gail right now, looking left to right for any real or even perceived threat to her.

"Is Frank there with you?" Gail asked Dean. "Can I talk to him?"

"He went out, and I told him to take the Angels with him," Dean said. She could hear a touch of irritation in his voice now. Gail smiled. Dean had never particularly liked Angels. He had made obvious exceptions in Cas's case, and then later, in her own. But she knew that generally, Dean had a negative attitude when it came to Angels, and she could kind of understand why.

"Aren't you getting along with Chuck and Ethan?" she asked him. "Try to give them a chance, Dean. They were very good to us during the tribunal, along with Kevin. The Three Musketeers." She smiled fondly, thinking about their friends, but then her brain got that tickle again. Suddenly, she saw herself sitting at the head of the boardroom table in Heaven, and her three Angel friends were sitting at the table. Cas, too. Was she remembering being the Chairwoman of the board, something Cas and Bobby advised that she apparently was now? Gail felt excited; maybe her memory was coming back. She'd have to tell Cas about that when she spoke to him next. She was sure he'd be happy about that, too. It must be tough living with somebody who had such huge gaps in their memory.

"You still there, Gail?" Dean said, breaking into her thoughts.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry, Dean. I was just remembering a board meeting. At least, I think I was. I've been seeing a lot of strange things in my head lately, almost like scenes from a movie, or something. But I don't know what's real and what's not, any more."

Dean frowned. "What kind of stuff are you seeing?"

"Just bits and pieces," Gail said vaguely. She smiled. She certainly wasn't going to tell him about her visions of her and Cas being highly sexual, and not always in the most Angelic of ways. Besides, she had already concluded that those were just fantasies, figments of her fevered imagination. She knew what the cure for that fever would be, too, but Dean certainly couldn't help her with that. The only man who could was in Seattle at the moment. She hoped Cas was thinking along the same lines as she was. They would have a lot to catch up on, and only some of it would have to involve conversation. Then she smiled. "I knew that some of them must be false memories, though," she told Dean. "I saw you, and you were punching Cas out. I know you dislike Angels, but I could think of way more likely candidates that you would want to do that to than him."

But Dean was not amused. If she was remembering stuff like that, how long would it be before she remembered the really bad stuff? Maybe he should call Cas and warn him. He manufactured a laugh. "Yeah, that's pretty crazy," he said to Gail. Great. Now he had something else to worry about.

Gail was still smiling, but her smile faded when she looked up and saw two men staring at her. Why were they looking at her like that? Had she said something weird, something they could have overheard, maybe? She had mentioned Demons a while back, but she had made sure that she sat well away from people, and she had been talking in a low voice.

"I'd better go, Gail," Dean was saying. "They're gonna be back soon, and then we'll have to hit it." He paused. "Listen, take care of yourself, and call if you need anything, OK?"

Her attention turned back to Dean. "I will, Dean, thanks. You guys be careful out there too, OK?"

"You know it," he replied.

Then they hung up, and Gail put her phone back in her pocket. The men that had been staring at her were now gone. Maybe that had been just her imagination, working overtime. Talking with Dean about Demons and Lucifer had reminded her of the many dangers that were out there for them all, and she had probably just been being paranoid.

Still, she checked her other pocket for her Angel blade. Phew. It was still there, of course. Although, if any of their enemies attacked her, she wasn't sure if it would do any good to stab them with it. Weren't they all Demons now? But at least she could try to fight them off, and then send the call out to Bobby on Angel Radio for reinforcements. She was sure that Bobby could handle any one of the three of them quite easily. So could Cas, she was sure, but she would call Bobby first. Those had been her instructions, and they only made sense. If God couldn't handle Lucifer, then who could? Bless Dean's heart for caring, but Bobby was their best chance for survival.

She wondered if the hour was up yet. Gail didn't wear a watch, and there were no clocks in the casino, of course. Maybe she would slowly work her way over to the cash cage. Gail wanted that cheque; she was entitled to it, after all, and there were a lot of charities the money could benefit. She didn't know what she thought about the whole karma thing, but it certainly couldn't hurt right now.

But when she got to the cash cage, the cashier wanted photo I.D., and she didn't have any, of course. Crap. Gail had never tried the two-finger system, but even if she were able to do it, the cashier was on the other side of the barrier. What was she going to do?

She needed advice, and really, it was just the excuse she had been looking for. So Gail went back up to her room and placed the call.

"Hey, Gail," Sam said, smiling. He was pleased to hear from her, and happy that she was all right.

Gail sat cross-legged on the bed in her room, and she smiled when she heard his voice, too. This was turning out to be a pretty good day, despite the fact that she wasn't with Cas. Even though she had missed out on talking to Frank, she had been able to talk to her three other favourite guys today. And surely Bobby couldn't be too upset about this particular call. She had to figure out how to get that cheque, didn't she?

So she explained the situation to Sam, and he thought about it for a moment. Gail had won two million dollars? Unbelievable. But, she was right; she did need to get that cheque. Sam did believe in karma, and he thought that her donating that money to charity would be an excellent start. But how was she going to get it? Then he had an idea.

"Could you maybe use that 'two-finger system' on the manager?" Sam asked her. "Persuade him to release the cheque to you?"

Gail thought about that. "Maybe," she said hesitantly. "But I'm not even sure I can do it, Sam. I've never tried it before. But I guess that might be my only shot. So, what's going on with you?"

Sam sighed. "Absolutely nothing. I can't come up with one damn thing that could help us. I've been searching for any signs of unusual activity, or any indications that Armageddon has begun, like the stuff we read about in Revelation. And I've read so much lore I'm starting to think I might need glasses soon. I even got out Rowena's spell book, just for the hell of it. But, nothing."

Rowena's spell book? Funny, that had popped into Gail's head when Crowley had told her she could apparently do magic spells. But if Sam couldn't see anything in it that might pertain to their current situation, she was sure she couldn't, either.

"OK, well, I'll try out your suggestion on the manager," she told Sam. "If it doesn't work, I can just tell him I saw a bug on his forehead, or something. Oh, and by the way, I talked to Dean earlier. They're all OK, too. He said things are really quiet. I wonder what you-know-who's doing."

"Who? Voldemort?" Sam quipped, and Gail laughed. She remembered he had made that joke before, and it never failed to crack her up.

"Thanks, Sam. I needed that," she told him.

"Be safe out there," Sam said, his tone turning serious now. "It may be quiet at the moment, but you know it's not going to stay that way."

Gail sighed. She knew. She thanked him again and hung up the phone. Then she dug into her pocket and dug out the manager's card, calling him on the hotel phone. She asked him to meet her at the cash cage, and he told her he'd be right there.

She rose from the bed and crossed the room to the door. After checking her pocket for the keycard to the room, as she always did, Gail exited the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

And that was when the men attacked her from behind.

Gail yelled involuntarily as one man grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her back, and the other advanced on her, holding a knife. Crap! How had she allowed herself to get subdued so easily? The answer was simple; she had dropped her guard for a moment, too lost in thought to be vigilant about her surroundings. Hadn't she drummed into the Angels' heads in training to always be prepared in case of sudden attack? As a cautionary tale, she had told them all about being mugged in Vancouver. She hadn't been paying attention that night, either. It was time to put into practice what she'd been so blithely preaching.

Gail kicked out and connected with the armed assailant's crotch, sending him to his knees. Then he fell over. She smiled grimly. She'd put everything she had into that kick, and she hoped it had hurt, a lot. He'd dropped the knife and he was rolling on the floor, groaning. Now if she could only break free from the other guy, she could take care of him, too. Were these guys Lucifer and Metatron? Should she call Bobby now?

But before she could decide, the man that had been restraining her threw her to the ground, and then his body was on top of her. He was heavy, and she couldn't throw him off. Then his hands were around her neck and he was choking her. Gail grabbed his arms, but he was too strong, and she couldn't budge them. This was bad. If she didn't do something in a minute, Gail would be toast. She panicked.

"CAS! HELP!" she yelled silently. She couldn't have spoken anyway; the attacker's fingers were digging into her throat.

But, suddenly, she saw a hand clamp down on the man's shoulder and pull him off of her. Thank God. Gail gasped for air, coughing, as Cas punched the attacker, then threw him against the wall. He sat there looking dazed as Cas fell to his knees in front of Gail. She was sitting up now, but her breathing was still laboured.

"Are you all right?" Cas asked. He reached out his hand, but he was a little afraid to touch her. Her face was pale, and she was still coughing.

But Gail nodded. She'd be OK, she just had to catch her breath. She gestured towards the men, and Cas looked back at them. But they seemed down for the count. The one man was still groaning and holding his crotch, and the other one was rubbing his jaw, but he remained on the floor.

Cas got up and picked the knife up off the carpet, inspecting it. Just an ordinary knife. This couldn't be Metatron and Lucifer. Not only had they not popped out after he'd shown up, but they would never try to use an ordinary knife to kill an Angel. Cas raised the knife, considering killing both men, just on general principles. But then he lowered his arm. That wasn't who he was any more.

The casino manager came hurrying around the corner accompanied by two armed security guards, who had their guns drawn. They saw Cas holding the knife, and one of them told him, "Put the knife down, and put your hands behind your back!"

"No!" Gail croaked, panicked. They were going to shoot him, assuming that he was one of her assailants. "Don't shoot him!"

But the manager stepped forward. "It's OK," he told her. "We know he didn't attack you."

Gail let out a breath, relieved. The guards moved to grab her two attackers. They put handcuffs on them and hauled them to their feet, marching them down the hall.

"Can I have that?" the manager asked Cas, holding his hand out for the knife. "It's evidence. Though you've put your hands on it, now."

"Sorry," Cas said absently. But he didn't really care. Gail's well-being was all he cared about. She was slowly getting to her feet now, and he rushed over to assist her. He put his arms around her waist to steady her, and she leaned against him gratefully.

"I need to speak to you," the manager said to Gail. "Can we go into your room for a moment?" He wanted to get them out of the hallway as soon as possible. Word of mouth about jackpot winnings was good publicity, but a winner getting attacked in the very same hotel would be deadly publicity, for about a week or so.

Gail looked up at Cas and gave a half-shrug, then she pulled her keycard out of her pocket. Cas took it, asking her which room was hers. Gail pointed to it, coughing a couple more times. She felt like saving her voice for the moment.

They entered the room, and Cas took Gail by the hand and sat her down on the small couch on the other side of the bed, sitting down beside her. The manager took the chair opposite.

"I'm very sorry that happened to you," he said to Gail.

"Who were those men?" Cas asked the manager. "Why did they attack her?"

"The jackpot, of course," the manager replied, and Gail leaned over and whispered in Cas's ear, telling him about the money she'd won. He looked startled, but Cas had the sense not to show it in front of the casino manager. As it was, he had to think up an explanation for his sudden appearance in the hallway. The manager frowned. "I should have insisted on that security for you," he said to Gail. "Those two men are known to the police. They've been hanging around casinos, stalking the people who win big. We actually owe you both a debt of gratitude, and so do the cops. They've been trying to apprehend these guys for months. They've been visible on security cameras, but the cops were never able to catch them. And, speaking of security cameras - " the manager continued. "Where did you come from, and who are you?" he asked Cas.

Gail cleared her throat. "He's my husband," she said, squeezing Cas's hand. "He was here in the room, and he heard the commotion, so he came out there to see what was going on." She looked closely at the manager's face. Was he buying it? How much had they seen?

The manager looked at both of them. He'd received a radio report that the attack was in progress, and he had rushed up here with the two guards to help her. But then they had radioed him on the way up in the elevator that some guy had just suddenly come out of nowhere and was helping her, and the assailants were both incapacitated. A funny thing had happened, though. Just before the third man had appeared, the camera footage had gone all snowy, and by the time it had cleared, the man was picking up the knife that the first assailant had dropped. So, her explanation seemed reasonable enough to the manager.

"Well, thank God you're all right," he told her. "I'll escort you both down to the cash cage myself, and you can collect the cheque. He looked at Gail. "And I suggest you don't go anywhere alone for the rest of your stay here."

"Don't worry, she won't," Cas said, squeezing Gail's hand back and smiling at her. He was going to make sure of it. Hearing her voice suddenly in his head like that, sounding so frightened, had scared him immeasurably. Thank God he had gotten here right away and thank God her attackers had only been humans. But the next time, they would not be as lucky, he was sure of it. Cas was not going back to Seattle, and if Bobby didn't like it, that was too bad. He was never going to leave her side again. Cas should know better by now. He had left her alone for just a moment at the Supernatural convention, and Metatron had stabbed her to death. Now he had let her come here alone once more, and she had very nearly been killed again.

Gail smiled back. Normally, she would be a little annoyed at the implication that she needed his protection at all times, but she was still shaking from her close call. And it was becoming increasingly apparent to her that she talked a big game, but her track record in these types of situations wasn't stellar. She had even blown it when she had requested help. Hadn't she been thinking that she should call Bobby first? But her first thought when she'd been in such grave danger was of Cas. Of course.

They accompanied the manager downstairs, and as they were riding in the elevator, Gail motioned to Cas and whispered Sam's suggestion in his ear. Cas nodded, and he put his fingers on the manager's forehead. When they got to the cash cage, the manager entered the cage, and brought the cheque out to them himself. He handed it to Gail, but she gave it to Cas, who put it in the inside pocket of his blazer. Then the manager shook hands with both of them and left.

"We'd better get this cheque someplace safe," Cas said to her, patting his pocket.

"We'll lock it in the safe in my room," Gail said, but he shook his head.

"I was thinking safer than that," he told her. "Come on." He took her hand and led her to a deserted area just outside the casino. He looked at the exterior of the building. No cameras here. Cas was relieved that the manager had seemed to accept Gail's explanation of his sudden appearance at face value, though it puzzled him as to why the manager would have. Cas had appeared literally out of nowhere. His mind had been working furiously, trying to come up with something that would seem plausible to humans. But there had been no further questions after Gail's comment. Maybe Bobby had intervened somehow. Cas would deal with any potential consequences later, but right now he felt warm all over. She had called him her husband, and a thrill of excitement had gone through him when she had done that. And she was all right, and they were together now.

He winked them both to the bunker. Sam, Jody and Becky were all sitting at the library table. Jody started when they just suddenly appeared, but Becky didn't react, and Sam had been looking at his computer screen.

"Sorry, Jody," Cas said, smiling. "We didn't mean to startle you."

"That's OK, Cas," she responded. "I guess I'll get used to it, working with all of you Angels." She smiled back.

Sam rose from the table and approached them. He shook Cas's hand and then drew Gail to him for a hug.

"What's up, Cas?" Sam asked. "Is everything OK?"

Cas and Gail exchanged glances. Neither of them could see the point in telling him about the attack. There was enough to worry about these days as it was, and everything had turned out all right.

"It's fine," Cas told him. "We just came here to give you this, for safekeeping." He reached into his pocket and handed Sam the cheque. Sam looked at it and whistled. He'd never seen a figure that big on a cheque in all his life. Well, not a real cheque, anyway.

"You won this, huh?" he asked Gail, grinning. "How'd that feel?"

"Pretty good," Gail said, smiling at him. Then her smile faded and she touched her neck. "Then, not so much."

Sam looked at them both. Something was fishy here. "Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but why are you two together?"

The Angels looked at each other again, and this time they had no ready answer. So they ended up telling their friends about the attack, after all.

"But it wasn't Lucifer and Metatron," Gail told them, "just two humans, looking to rob me. But I wish it would have been Lucifer and Metatron. Then we could have had two out of three."

Sam was frowning. Like Dean, he was wondering why Bobby had sent her out there all alone. Thank God Cas had gotten there so quickly. Sam hoped Cas would just stay with her now. Who was he kidding, though? Of course Cas would stay with her now. And Sam was glad. The instructions could go to hell. Gail was more important.

They all chatted for a few more minutes, then Cas said, "We'd better go. Bobby probably already knows, but I need to call him on Angel Radio and tell him I'm staying in Las Vegas. I hope he doesn't yell too loudly. I don't want to get a headache." He smiled and squeezed Gail's hand again. For her, he'd take God's wrath.

"What do you want me to do with this cheque?" Sam asked them.

"Just hang onto it for now," Gail replied. "We'll figure it out later." She smiled. "Just don't let Dean get a hold of it. I don't want him considering forgery. Unless he's willing to dress like a woman to try it. That would be a show worth paying for."

They all laughed, and Cas and Gail winked out of the bunker.

The two Angels made a brief stop in Seattle to get Cas's bag with his clothes, and he told her that there was one more stop he wanted to make. He doubted they would still be there, but he wanted to try.

He winked them over to the bench by the fountain and incredibly, the bag with the books in it was still there, and so was the book he had been in the midst of reading. He walked over and picked it up, putting it into the bag with the others. Then he walked back to where Gail stood.

"What are those?" she asked him curiously. He opened the bag to show her, and she smiled widely. "I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. "You're reading those?" She looked at the bag more closely. "But, wait a minute. You don't have all of them. There are six in total. It looks like you're missing the first three."

Cas cursed himself. She wouldn't remember that, of course. He had already read the first three books when he had exiled himself to Europe for fear of hurting her further, when he had been the Demon. What could he say here? Only the truth, he supposed. Well, mostly, anyway.

"I read the first three already," he said casually, keeping his voice steady.

"When? And when were you going to tell me about it?" she asked him, surprised.

He winced inwardly. He disliked having to be like this with her. "Here and there," he said evasively. "I didn't want to tell you about it until I'd read them all. I look forward to long conversations with you on the subject. But I'm glad they were still here. I thought I would bring them with me, in case there's an opportunity to read some more. If not, I'll bring them home, and finish them after...well, after."

Gail touched his face. "Well, I think it's great. I think you'll really like them."

"I'm sure I will," he replied. He handed her the bag with the books. He had already picked up the bag with his clothes in it, and he wanted to have a free hand so that he could hold hers. "Let's go."

They were back in her room in Las Vegas, and Cas put his bag on the floor while Gail put the bag containing the books on the table. She turned around to find him standing right behind her, and he was smiling.

"What?" she asked him.

"You called me your husband," Cas said.

Oh. Right. She had, hadn't she? "I don't know why I said that," she told him. "I just thought it would sound...oh, I don't know." Sound what? More respectable? But what did that possibly matter? Had it been a reaction to the events that had occurred around the tribunal, maybe? Xavier had made such a big deal out of the fact that they had shared a hotel room here, having sex, and they were unmarried. What was the expression? "Living in sin"? But, that was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

"Well, it sounded wonderful to me," Cas said. He put his arms around her and kissed her softly. "And it's something we'll definitely have to talk about once this is over."

Then he kissed her again, and then his tongue was in her mouth, looking for hers. She gave it to him, and they both sighed contentedly.

"We should get out there and be visible, like we're supposed to," Gail breathed. Then she kissed him again.

"I should call Bobby and face his anger," he said softly. He kissed her again, and then he lifted her top off over her head. He took his shirt off and embraced her again. He touched her neck gently. "Are you feeling all right?" Cas asked her.

"I feel just fine," she assured him.

"I'm glad," Cas said sincerely. Then he smiled. "But I think we can do better than that."

He picked her up and brought her to the bed, laying her down on it. Then he took off her pants and her underwear, kissing her as he did it. He took off his pants and moved on top of her, kissing her on the mouth again.

"I've missed you," Cas told her. "We won't be apart any more, I promise." Then he moved down her body and caressed the insides of her thighs. She opened her legs for him and he began to lick her. Her body jumped, and he put his hand on her abdomen, as if to calm her. She grabbed his hand, and he squeezed back.

"I love you, Cas," Gail told him. "I don't ever want to be without you again."

"You won't be," he said firmly. "You won't be." Then he resumed what he had been doing, and Gail began to whimper immediately. He let go of her hand and grabbed her hips, bringing her closer to him. She cried out, and he smiled, speeding up his tongue's motion. She moved her head back and forth, continuing to cry out in pure joy.

Once she was still, Cas moved up to kiss her again, and he slipped inside of her. He moved slowly at first, but he couldn't help but go faster, and then faster. She put her arms around him and turned his head, licking his ear. "I love you so much," she said softly, and her lips grazed his earlobe, just like in his fantasy of this morning. Cas couldn't hold back any longer. He moaned loudly, feeling the warm rush.

He lay there for a moment, catching his breath, and then he kissed her again.

"Let's just stay here, like this, forever," Gail said, smoothing his hair back from his forehead.

Cas smiled. In a way, there was nothing that he would like more. But as per his earlier vow to himself, he wanted to enjoy being with her in many other ways too, not just in the bedroom. Although none came to mind at this particular moment.

"Sounds good to me," Cas said lightly. He started to caress her body again, and he surprised her by rolling off of her and bringing his hand down to the place on her that he had just vacated. His fingers were stroking her, and Gail felt her excitement starting to build again. "Cas," she gasped, and he started to kiss her face. Now it was just like her fantasy, and she closed her eyes, moving with his hand.

"Let yourself go, Gail," he murmured. "Please." He was licking her neck now, and she clutched his head. His fingers sped up, and she cried out loudly. "Cas! It's so good!"

Even after she was done, he continued to caress her, and once she had her breath back, he opened her mouth with his tongue. They kissed like that for a minute or two, and then they embraced each other, holding on tight.

After a few more minutes, Gail lifted her head from his chest. "I'm going to go take a shower," she told him.

He sighed. "I'll call Bobby while you're doing that. With any luck, the running water will at least muffle his shouting, so that you won't have to hear it."

She laughed softly. "I hope he's not too mad," she said. "If he didn't already see it, feel free to embellish what happened earlier."

Cas frowned. "I won't have to embellish it much. I'm so glad you're all right, Gail."

"Thanks to you, I am," she said, kissing his face. She smiled. "I can always count on you to take care of me."

That made him smile, but after she climbed out of bed and padded to the bathroom, grabbing her bag of clothes on the way, Cas's smile faded. There was a time when he had been the one that she had needed protection from, and he would never forget that. Thinking of it felt like a knife through his heart, but he couldn't seem to stop. The guilt ate away at him, and the fact that she didn't remember any of it was almost worse. She was so innocent, and so loving towards him. But he didn't deserve it. He was still being selfish. God had come to his rescue, erasing her memories of that dark time, and Cas had let Him. Because it was easier for HIM. But was that fair to her? She thought she had PTSD now, and he had seen her struggling to make sense of things whenever someone inadvertently mentioned something that had occurred during the time of her lost memories. How long could he let this continue?

Cas called Bobby on Angel Radio, confessing to where he was and what he had done. "I'm sorry if you're angry, Bobby, but I intend to stay here with her now. If they come to Las Vegas, I'm not letting her face them alone."

Silence. Then Bobby surprised him by merely sighing, and saying, "OK, Cas. I get it. I don't want anything to happen to Gail, either. You've gotta believe that. I just thought that Lucifer would be more likely to go for one of you if you were out there on your own." And that was what Bobby had sincerely thought, too. He had received status reports from both Linda and Kevin, and they told him that things were extremely quiet in their respective cities. There had been no overt attacks, and no threats of any kind. If Lucifer didn't go for Kevin or Linda, Bobby had felt sure he'd go for Gail over Castiel. But she had been attacked by humans, not Lucifer, and it was Bobby's fault. He had thought that her winning a big jackpot like that would force the issue, throw the spotlight on her. And it had worked to a certain extent, but Bobby had not counted on the fact that some humans were on the same level of evil as the Devil. He had indeed seen Gail being attacked, but before Bobby could intervene, Cas had already gotten there, and he had taken care of things. So Bobby couldn't get too mad at Cas. He had known that Gail would send out the SOS; it was just too bad that it was only two human criminals who had been caught in her net, and not the big fish himself.

"Stay there for another couple of days," Bobby instructed him. "Then I may pull you all in. If he doesn't show himself soon, we'll have to come up with a Plan B."

"So you're not angry with me?" Cas asked him.

Bobby sighed again. "How could I be, Cas? What happened to Gail was essentially my fault. Tell her I'm sorry, willya?"

Cas had to smile at that. Gail would be pleased. She had always enjoyed being apologized to by God. But then his smile vanished. "She's beginning to remember, Bobby. And I'm beginning to think I should just come clean. I don't want her going through that kind of trauma."

"Oh, and you don't think it's gonna be traumatic for her if you sit her down and tell her that you were a Demon that was so abusive to her that she ended up leaving you? That, for a while there, Crowley looked like the better option? " Bobby snapped. He was still angry about that whole thing. Bobby wasn't sure it was fair to Gail, either, but he'd had to go for the lesser of the two evils at the time. Cas and Gail were the anchor of his little Angel army, and Bobby couldn't have her going off the deep end when they had such an important task to accomplish. Once Lucifer, Metatron and Aurielle were either killed or apprehended, they would have to have a serious talk about what was right; but right now, Bobby had to do what was necessary, for the greater good.

"Don't you go unburdening yourself to her just because you feel like crap," he cautioned Cas. "This isn't about you. You feel like crap because you should feel like crap. But if you make yourself feel better, just to get it off your chest, what would that do to her, Cas? Think about that, before you go shooting your mouth off."

Cas hung his head. Bobby was right. How could he do that to her? She may be confused now, but she was happy. Well, as happy as she could be, considering what was going on out there. But they were together now, and he could keep her safe. If she were to find out what had really happened during that time, she would surely leave him again, and then she would be completely alone, and vulnerable. Everything that Bobby had said was true. Telling her right now would be even more selfish than continuing to keep her in the dark.

Then she came out of the bathroom, and Cas's mouth dropped open. She was wearing the blue dress she had worn in Heaven the day the new laws had been ratified. She'd looked beautiful in it then, and she looked even more radiant now.

"Wow," he said softly.

She smiled and did a cute little spin. "That was the reaction I was hoping to get. You like?"

He got off the bed and approached her. "You look beautiful," he told her.

Gail was pleased. When she had packed her bag to come here, she had impulsively thrown this dress in with her other clothes. She wasn't really sure why; it had just seemed like a good idea at the time. Funny, though; she'd had a few outfits in the closet she couldn't even remember buying. Like this dress, and a black outfit that looked like it was more suitable to wear to a funeral than anywhere else. But obviously, she had bought them at some point. And now she was glad that she had brought this one. Blue was her favourite colour, and her dress matched Cas's eyes, which were shining right now as he looked at her.

"I feel extremely underdressed now," Cas deadpanned, and Gail laughed. Of course he was; they had just been making love, and all he had on were his shorts, which he had put back on when she'd left the room. "Luckily - " he continued, walking over to his clothing bag " - I bought this." He reached into the bag and pulled out a suit and tie. "It may be a bit wrinkled, though," he told her. "I guess I should have hung it up when I first got to Seattle, but something told me that I wouldn't be there for too long."

She was smiling. "Really? Well, what about when you first got here, then?" she teased.

He lifted an eyebrow to her. "Let's just say, I had other priorities."

Gail walked over to him, still smiling. Her lips grazed his chest. "Good call," she said softly.

"You'd better not do that, or your dress will also be wrinkled in a minute," he said, slipping an arm around her waist.

"It WAS wrinkled, but I found out about another one of my special talents," she told him. "Look what I can do." She waved her hand over his suit and when the golden glow faded, the clothes were wrinkle-free and ready to wear.

Gail smiled up at him. "Not much good in a fight, but it will come in handy on date night."

"Is that what this is?" he asked her, answering her smile.

"Hey, if we're going to go out in public, it might as well be," she said lightly. "Isn't that kind of our Vegas tradition?"

Cas nodded. Yes, it was. He hung up his suit, then turned back to her. "I'll have my shower now, and then we'll go. It's too bad we don't eat. I'd love to take you out for dinner."

Bobby's voice sounded suddenly in Cas's head. "Uh, Cas," he said hesitantly. "I'm still here."

What? Hadn't he disconnected? Cas was a little embarrassed. It was lucky that he hadn't done what he had been contemplating doing when Gail had kissed his chest. "Sorry, Bobby," he thought. "I'll hang up now."

"Before you do, I just wanted to tell you something," Bobby said. "You can actually confer the power to be able to eat and drink, if you want."

"What do you mean?" Cas asked him, puzzled. "I've never had the power to do that."

"Yes, you did, once," Bobby reminded him. "You had it when you were God, remember? That means you should be able to do it again now, any time you want. I was gonna tell you that, but you never really expressed an interest in being able to eat or drink before. And you can give it to Gail, too. Call it an apology, from me to her."

Cas was nonplussed. "Okay, Bobby. 'Bye," he said out loud, then he disconnected.

"What was that all about?" Gail asked him.

"I told you I was going to call Bobby," Cas said. "That was the end of our conversation."

"You mean you were connected that whole time?" Gail inquired, surprised. Phew. Lucky she hadn't let Cas do what she knew he was thinking about doing when she'd kissed his chest.

Cas smiled sheepishly. "Apparently. Anyway, guess what he told me?"

Gail was thrilled when Cas shared what Bobby had just said. "We won't do it all the time, but I think it'd be great for special occasions," she said. "And I think tonight might be one."

The Castiel in him wasn't so sure; any one of their enemies might ambush them at any time, and they really shouldn't be distracting themselves with something so frivolous. But Cas wanted to do it, anyway. They had gone about it kind of backwards today, but he really wanted to recreate their first date.

So he put his hand on Gail's head, and his own blue essence flowed out, then faded. "How do you feel?" Cas asked her.

Gail thought a moment, then she smiled. "Hungry," she told him. "Really, really hungry."

Cas smiled. He put his hand on his own head, repeating the process, then told her, "I'm hungry now, too. I'll shower quickly, and then we can go out for a nice meal."

Gail looked out the window as Cas was taking his shower. It was funny how cold and unwelcoming Las Vegas had felt to her when she'd first gotten here; but now, it was the most beautiful city in the world.

Cas came out of the shower and put his suit on. Gail was still at the window, staring out as the sun went down and the neon lights grew brighter. He came to the window and put his arms around her waist from behind.

"I'll never tire of looking at all those lights," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Me neither," Gail agreed. "Who would have ever thought that Las Vegas would be such a magical place for two Angels?"

"You'd think it would be Los Angeles, if anything," Cas quipped, and Gail laughed. She turned around. "You look very handsome," she told him, and he smiled, offering her his arm to take.

"Let's go," Cas said. "I'm ravenous."

They had a long, leisurely dinner. Cas had ordered them a glass of wine each, just to sip at during dinner, because he knew that she liked it. And they talked and talked; about baseball, and about the books that she liked, and that he had begun to read. There was a lot of give and take, and a fair amount of laughter, as well. At one point, Gail nearly spit out a mouthful of her wine when Cas told her about the mental comparison he had drawn between Crowley and the black-clad, dour character in those books.

"That is fantastic!" she said, after having swallowed her wine with great difficulty. She laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes. "Very astute!"

Cas was pleased that he had amused her so. He had always felt close to her, but he felt even closer to her now. They had talked about her likes and her interests for a change, and he was enjoying their conversation immensely. Even when their opinions didn't entirely agree, they listened to each other as they expressed themselves, and the debates had been lively and interesting. Cas had always known that Gail was intelligent, but he had never stopped to realize how agile her mind was, as well. Castiel had always been a master at debate, but even though she acknowledged his points when they were made, she'd had a few of her own to make, as well. At the end of the meal, Cas realized that he genuinely did respect her. He hadn't really done so before, and that had been part of the problem.

Gail sat back in her chair. "I'm really full now. But this has been great. I'm glad we were able to do this. Did you enjoy your dinner?" she asked him.

"Very much," Cas told her, putting his napkin on the table. "But I don't think it was the food, so much as the company."

Gail smiled, shaking her head slowly. God, he was charming. A fact of which he seemed to be completely oblivious. If they could harness that as a weapon and use it against Lucifer, they could wrap this up in no time.

But this had turned out to be a wonderful day, and she didn't want to think about the Devil right now. They were vigilant of their surroundings, but Gail thought if they could just have the rest of this day for themselves, they could turn back into soldiers tomorrow. That wasn't too much to ask, was it?

"Let's go walk some of this off," Gail said, patting her stomach. Cas threw some money down on the table and he took her hand as she rose from her chair.

They walked up and down the Strip, enjoying the night air. It was cool for Las Vegas, just the way that Gail liked it. Fall had definitely arrived. She was still somewhat distressed that she couldn't even remember last winter, though; let alone the spring, or most of the summer. But Gail was hoping to get more of her memories back as time went on. If she didn't put too much pressure on herself, she was sure that would happen.

Cas stopped walking. "Let's get another photo taken," he suggested. "Your old one's getting a little tattered around the edges," he teased lightly.

"That's because I love it so much," she responded. "Almost as much as I love the guy who's in it. But yeah, let's get another one taken. I can start a collection."

They had the photo taken, and once it had developed, Cas slipped it into his pocket. "Now we'll have one for each nightstand," he told her. "And, like us, they have to stay together." But now, he was starting to feel afraid. What was Lucifer going to do? Would he kill one of them? How about Metatron, or Aurielle? Or maybe Gail would just regain all of her memories and leave him for good this time. Something was coming soon; he could feel it now.

"Let's go back," Cas said to Gail. If they were only to be allowed one more idyllic night together, he wanted to start it right away.

They undressed each other slowly, and Cas started to nuzzle her neck. He could see the bruises that were already starting to come in from her attack, and he felt the familiar stab of guilt again. He kissed and licked her neck gently, as if doing so could take the bruises away. But at least it wasn't him who had caused them, this time.

He started to move down her body, but Gail stopped him. "I'd like to do it differently," she told Cas. He looked at her inquiringly.

"I want it to be mutual," she said, and he understood what she meant. So he laid down on his back, and he helped her to position herself in the opposite direction. They made love to each other at the same time, and it was intense.

Even though they had the capacity to do so, neither of them had any urge to sleep, so they made love all night, cuddling and talking in-between. When he reached for her for the umpteenth time, and she reached for him just as eagerly, Cas was reminded of their Demon nights. But even though the frequency and variety of what they were doing was similar to what they had experienced then, the attitude was completely different. No matter how their bodies were configured, this was love at its finest. So, when she shyly suggested the position she had seen in her other fantasy, he did not object.

Gail rolled onto her stomach, and Cas looked down at her. Could he really do this? Should he? But as soon as he started to caress her skin, he became excited. This wouldn't be violent, and it wouldn't hurt her.

He bent down and kissed her softly, then he licked her, and then he put his tongue inside of her. Gail squirmed underneath him. and he stopped immediately. "Are you all right?" Cas asked her.

"I'm fine, Cas," she replied. "Don't stop."

So he resumed, and then, when he thought that she was ready, he lifted her hips and entered her slowly. Gail made a noise, and he stopped moving.

"Go ahead, Cas," she said softly. "It's OK. I want you to."

So he resumed again, and he reached around to stroke her as he'd always done. She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, then guided it to herself.

Then she began to move against his hand, and as he started to move his body faster, she raised her lower body up to meet his, and he moaned.

"I love you, Cas," Gail told him. "And I love everything we do to express our love. Let it go, Cas," she added, echoing what he had said to her earlier.

That could be taken two ways, though. Maybe he should finally let go of that time in their lives. It was over now, and he would never hurt her again. Look at what they were doing right now. He was still making love to her, just in a bit of a different way. And she was telling him that it was all right.

His fingers sped up, and Gail began to make her sounds. Her hips raised again, and Cas closed his eyes as he pushed forward to meet her. They both cried out at the same time. Once he was done, Cas lowered his head to her and licked her again, making her body jump. Then he laid down underneath her and brought her down to his mouth, and then she was crying out again. It was unbelievable. He was unbelievable. "Cas," she breathed, "I can't..."

"Yes, you can," he said, smiling, and then he resumed. Another wave of pleasure washed over her, and now her legs were trembling. He held her steady, and he moved her away from him for a moment. She could feel just the tip of his tongue now, like a glorious tickle, and she started to whimper. He brought her back to his mouth immediately when he heard her do that. It meant that she was close again. Then he sped up his tongue, and she yelled, "Cas! You're so good!" He continued to hold her as steadily as he could, considering how much she was writhing now, until she was finally still.

"Cas," Gail breathed. It was all she could seem to say. She was so weak she couldn't even move now.

Cas slid out from under her, still holding her steady, and he gently laid her down in her back, her head on the pillows. He lay down beside her and covered both of them with the sheet. Gail was still trying to regain her breath, and she still felt like she couldn't move. She managed to turn her head so she could look at him.

"Cas," she breathed again, and then she couldn't help but smile at herself. He was going to think she had lost her mind, and maybe she had. All she could say was his name.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked her, his lips twitching.

Gail moaned softly. "Cas...Do you have any idea..." Great. Now she couldn't even form a coherent sentence. She was going to ask him to go looking for her lost brain cells in a minute.

"I love you," Cas told her, "and I will never, ever hurt you." He gently took her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

"I love you too, Cas," she responded, but now she was puzzled. That had been a really strange thing for him to say. Of course he would never hurt her. Why would he even say that? But she was too worn out with pleasure to ask him about it now, and she certainly wasn't about to start an argument, not after such a wonderful night. So all she said was, "I kind of wish we could sleep. That would be a perfect ending to a perfect day," she sighed happily.

"Would you really like to sleep?" Cas asked her softly.

"Yes, I wish I could," Gail answered him. She pulled his arms tighter around her. "Just like this."

"Let's see if you can, then," Cas said.

Gail opened her eyes. What was he talking about? She felt his hand on her head and saw the blue glow, and then she was unconscious.

"Not exactly the same thing," Cas murmured. "But it'll do. Rest well." He kissed her on the forehead again, keeping his arms wrapped around her.

But he stayed up all night, thinking about a number of different things. And when the sun came up, Castiel kissed Gail on the forehead once more. He would have to bring her back to consciousness soon. Maybe she could have breakfast, if she wanted it. He didn't, though he might have a strong cup of coffee. He had to be alert. Today was the day that Lucifer would finally show himself, and Castiel knew that he would be coming for them.

Rowena sat at the bar, waiting for the bartender to bring her the drink that she had ordered. Bailey's Irish Creme, on the rocks. She'd changed back to her human form, of course, but she had been the cat for so long now that she felt like having a cream-based drink.

She stretched her body, yawning, and when her drink came, she sipped it with a contented sigh. She'd only have the one, though she would love to have more. The Angels might come downstairs at any moment, and they couldn't see her here.

Rowena had followed Gail in her cat form throughout her day yesterday, and it had certainly been interesting. She had seen Gail visit the big cats and overheard her speaking with Castiel on the phone. Then the big jackpot win, and then she had been on the phone again. At that point, Rowena had been too far away to hear who Gail had been talking to. Castiel again, probably. Those two were obviously besotted with each other, and Rowena was sure that Lucifer would use that against them in some way. As the day went on, Rowena was growing increasingly puzzled as to why Lucifer hadn't shown up and taken Gail already. She was all alone, and she was vulnerable. That's what Rowena would have done. But not to kill her. Oh no, that would be too quick, too easy. She was sure that Lucifer must have a grand plan for the two of them, one that involved a lot of prolonged suffering.

But then Gail had gone upstairs, to her room presumably, and Rowena couldn't follow her there. She had to remain in the shadows, so she wouldn't be seen and captured by casino staff. So she'd waited patiently, and sure enough, Gail had come back down. But Castiel had been with her, and he had remained by her side. Rowena had stayed for a while, but now that Gail was no longer alone, the witch wondered if there was any point in remaining. Unless Lucifer was looking for a battle this early in the game, he wouldn't show up to try to take her now that she had Castiel as her protector. Still, just for her own pleasure, Rowena had waited until they'd gotten back that night, and then she had crept up the stairs and listened at every door on the floor she had seen their elevator go to. Finally, she was rewarded when she heard their cries of ecstasy. Rowena curled up on the carpet outside the door for a little while to listen. She wished she could see inside, but she did not have that ability when she was in cat form. Still, she could well imagine. From the sounds she was hearing, Rowena could imagine that Castiel was an excellent swordsman, and she wasn't thinking about his Angel blade. Good for Gail. It sounded like she was getting her fill, and more besides, and that she was very happy about it. A far cry from the shenanigans that used to go on when Castiel had been a Demon. Gail had still gotten some pleasure, but there had also been pain. Now there was just the pleasure, and Castiel had the advantage of experience, and of having already learned what Gail enjoyed the most. If the girl hadn't been totally his before, she certainly was now. But Castiel was playing a dangerous game. The Angels didn't live in a bubble, and too many others knew about that dark period in their lives for it to remain a secret for very much longer. Rowena's whiskers had twitched in amusement. She would enjoy seeing the fireworks when Gail found out what Castiel was so desperately trying to hide from her.

Rowena had gone back downstairs and napped for a while, and when morning came, she'd changed back into her human form and come to the bar for a pick-me-up. There was something really lovely and decadent about drinking alcohol in the morning. Rowena wished she could have several, then choose a good-looking man to bring her upstairs to his room for a while. The sounds she had heard last night reminded her of just how good that particular activity could be. Gail must be feeling like a million dollars this morning. But Rowena couldn't risk being seen by the couple, so she couldn't stick around.

So she finished her drink and exited the hotel, walking back to her own hotel, and her own room. She gathered up her belongings and mixed up the travelling potion. It was time to seek out the Devil.

Gail was stretching luxuriously, and once she was done, she looked at Castiel. "What did you do?" she asked him. "Did you put me to sleep?"

"More or less," he answered evasively. "How do you feel?"

"Wonderful," she said, smiling. She touched his face. "Thank you for such a glorious night last night. How are you this morning?"

"I'm wonderful, too." He leaned down to kiss her softly, and then his arms went around her again and he pulled her close to him. He was lying, of course. His stomach was churning. Their time of peace was over, and Lucifer was coming.

"Would you like to eat breakfast?" Cas asked her.

She pulled out of the embrace to look at his face. "That would be nice," Gail said. "Just one more meal. Then I'd better stop, or I'm going to get fat," she joked, patting her stomach.

He smiled. She was so cute. He leaned down to kiss her stomach. "I highly doubt that," he said to her. Then he kissed her stomach again and gave it a little lick.

"You'd better not start that, or we're never getting out of here," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

Cas lifted his head. She was right; he'd better not. They had been given their night, last night. But it was over now, and he'd better be ready.

"I'm going to shower and get dressed," Gail told him. She moved down the bed to kiss him on the lips, and then jumped off the bed before they could change their minds.

Cas watched her as she walked to the bathroom, humming a little tune. Why did it always have to be them? What more did God want from them, anyway?

Metatron had been pounding away at the keyboard for hours now, and he had finally gotten to the really interesting part. Castiel becomes a Demon. The shining hero becomes the bad guy. People were either going to love it, or they were going to hate it. But Metatron didn't mind if his readers hated it. The truth wasn't always pretty, was it?

He sat back and re-read what he had just written, trying to look at it as a reader might. In some ways, even though he was so violent and brutal, you had to feel sorry for the Castiel character. He was so pathetic, and he had such low self-esteem. You could almost understand why the poison had turned him into such a loathsome being. He was such a screw-up that he couldn't even embrace the power and the freedom of being an Alpha Demon, not fully. He did terrible, awful things, but then suffered guilt about them. He treated Gail abominably, but somewhat inexplicably, she had remained with him, enabling him. Then she had gone off on her noble quest for the cure, and Castiel finally did the right thing by leaving her alone, presumably for her to heal, both physically and emotionally. But they just couldn't stay away from each other. Was it love? Obsession? Sexual attraction? The mysterious blood bond? That would be for the reader to decide. Metatron didn't even know, himself. He didn't really understand the Gail character at times. It was hard for him to think like a female, never actually having been one. Didn't she have any self-respect? She sure seemed like she did, the times that he had had dealings with her. So, what was going on inside her head? Metatron could only assume that she had just as many self-esteem issues as Castiel did, so he wrote her that way. Maybe the two of them were just lost souls who had found each other. Maybe neither of them had ever felt completely accepted by others, so they had formed a co-dependent, symbiotic bond. Maybe God had brought them together simply for His own entertainment, just to see what would happen. Metatron knew how their Father liked to use people for His own little puppet show, sometimes. Or maybe the two of them were genuinely in love. How the hell would Metatron know? He had never been in love, and he never would be, unless he happened to glance into a mirror. The concept of love was foreign to him. He understood it intellectually, of course, but love was seldom intellectual. All that passion, all those crazy, mixed-up emotions? It seemed like a lot more anguish than it was actually worth. It made you vulnerable, and weak. Look at Castiel as a prime example.

He rubbed his hands together, savouring the anticipation. There was still so much more story to tell. What was going to happen when Gail found out that God Himself had modified her memories to get Castiel off the hook? How would she find out? And when? And what was Lucifer going to do?

He bent to the keyboard again. Metatron was posting the books as he finished them, and he'd already gotten quite a few reviews, all of them positive. But he wasn't sure they would stay that way, once he published this one. People loved the Castiel character, and they were going to be angry about this turn of events. But, c'est la vie. Metatron had created an e-mail account, which he had attached to his profile. If anybody had a problem with what he was writing, they could feel free to tell him so. He could take the criticism. But people needed to accept the truth. Heroes weren't always perfect; in fact, they were often deeply flawed. And bad guys weren't all bad, sometimes. Just look at the Crowley character. He was deliciously bad sometimes, but at other times, he would step up and help one of the good guys, for no discernible reason. Did he secretly like the feeling of being a hero? Was a part of him trying to make up for all of the bad stuff he had done over the centuries? Or was he just scheming, playing all the angles as usual? You wouldn't think that Lucifer being on the loose would bother Crowley all that much. What was a little more murder and mayhem, after all? Good times, as Dean Winchester would say. But Crowley had sent thousands of Demons topside, instructing them to find Lucifer at all costs. Maybe Crowley felt threatened by Lucifer, or maybe he just wanted to avoid Armageddon, even though Crowley had been threatening to unleash that very thing himself for many years now.

Metatron continued to type, smiling widely. The roller coaster was climbing towards its apex, and eventually it would come careening down, out of control. But he was getting way ahead of himself. He should be thinking of the present, as far as where his book-writing was at, but that was at least several books in the future. Gail was still gathering the ingredients and pursuing the cure in the one he was writing right now. Castiel would be cured, of course, but there would be all sorts of other problems. That was just the way it was with God's favourites.

Gail was wired. She'd had three cups of coffee, and she was contemplating having another.

"I think I've missed you most of all," she said to her coffee cup. Then she lifted it to her lips and gave it a kiss.

Cas laughed, shaking his head. She was nuts, but in the best way he had ever seen. Her humour had helped take the edge off his tension, but he remained on high alert.

He took a sip from his own cup, then put it down. He had made himself stop at two. He was strung too tight right now as it was.

Gail reached across the table and took his hand. "Thanks," she said, lifting her coffee cup in salute. "I can't remember when I've enjoyed my coffee more." She smiled mischievously. "But it's not the coffee, so much as the company."

He looked at her for a moment, then smiled. She was repeating back to him what he'd said to her in the restaurant last night. But he hadn't been very good company this morning, and now he was about to spoil her day. She had to know, though. He was keeping enough from her already.

Cas's smile disappeared, and he leaned forward, gesturing for her to do the same. Gail put down her cup and did as he asked. "What's wrong, Cas?" she asked him quietly.

"Lucifer is coming for us," he told her grimly. "He'll be here this morning."

Her heart stopped. "What makes you say that?" she asked, alarmed. "How do you know? Where is he now?"

"I wish I knew," Cas said fervently. If he could sense Lucifer's location, or even see what he looked like now, Castiel could attempt a pre-emptive strike. "And I don't even know how I know. I just do."

Gail understood. She'd had many feelings and intuitions like the one that Cas said he was having now, and she had become accustomed to heeding them.

"What should we do?" she asked him.

Cas gave a half-shrug. "Let him, I guess," he said uncomfortably. "That's what we're supposed to be out here for, isn't it?"

Oh, God, Gail thought. She wasn't ready for this. She hadn't even been able to handle two humans. But she'd been on her own then, and Castiel was with her now. Maybe if they teamed up, they could incapacitate Lucifer long enough for Bobby to come and get him. Maybe Bobby could bring Crowley, too. Then it would be God plus three Originals against one. Surely that would be enough.

She looked around. The problem was, he could be anyone. Anyone at all. Suddenly, she realized how many people there were, just walking around Las Vegas. And he didn't even have to be a man. He could be a woman, or even a child.

"Well, I suppose we'd better get out there, then," she said, trying to put on a brave face.

Cas rose from his chair and offered his hand to her. "I'll be with you every moment," he assured her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Gail rose and took his hand. She believed him, and she believed in him.

"Where do you want to go first?" Gail asked as they exited the restaurant.

"The Secret Garden," he said, without hesitation.

They walked through the casino and went outside to the gates outside the Garden. The cashier was getting ready to open the booth. They would be the first ones there. That was just fine with Gail; the place was always so serene first thing in the morning. A little calm before the storm would be very welcome. And this time, they would be there together. She gave Cas's hand a squeeze as they waited to get in.

Lucifer and Aurielle checked in at the front desk, then went up to their suite. He threw his bag on one of the beds and started to strip off his clothes.

"What are you doing?" Aurielle said warily.

Lucifer turned around and smiled at her. "Changing into tourist-y clothes," he told her. "I want to blend in." The look on her face amused him. Had she thought he was finally going to break down and rape her, or something? If he had been going to do that, he would have done it by now. They had been sharing the same bedroom ever since they had come to Earth, after all. But, even though he'd been tempted to try something a couple of times, Lucifer had held himself back. He was saving it all up for Gail, and the longer he waited, the sweeter it would be. He couldn't wait to see the devastated look on Castiel's face once he interfered with Gail.

But there were things Lucifer wanted to accomplish here on Earth, big things, and that could wait. He had been itching to make a bit of a splash. Maybe some kind of gesture would be in order, a sign to let Heaven know that he was just as much the threat as they perceived him to be.

Lucifer had watched as Matthew and Bobby had discussed the deployment of the Angels. Matthew had a one-way mirror on his living room wall that Lucifer could access when he so chose, and now he knew where each of the four Angels were. He'd go after one of the lesser ones first, just to make a statement.

The Prophet. That was the one. Kevin was young and inexperienced, and Prophets had always made Lucifer uneasy. Even he could not always shield himself from their visions, and the Prophets may currently be dry, but they wouldn't stay that way forever. Chuck was too high-profile where he was right now, but young Kevin would be easy pickings. And Lucifer had always wanted to visit Las Vegas. His TV show was ready to roll, but that could wait for a couple of days. He had already bought the air time.

So he and Aurielle were in Vegas now, staying in the same hotel as Cas and Gail were. But Lucifer was unaware that Bobby had taken it upon himself to switch Kevin and Gail's placements, and he was definitely unaware that Castiel was in Las Vegas with her now. Lucifer thought he was going after young Kevin, and Kevin only. He could kill the Prophet with a wave of his hand, indulge in some Vegas debauchery, and be back to Indianapolis in a day or two. Maybe he would encourage Aurielle to get laid while they were here. He doubted she would actually do it, though. She was saving herself for her precious Castiel. But that wasn't because of any sort of revenge; she really thought she loved the guy. And maybe she could have him yet. Once Lucifer was done with Gail's body, and with her mind, she would be so damaged that Castiel wouldn't want her any more. His Brother was selfish at heart, Lucifer knew, and Aurielle was beautiful now, and willing to do anything and everything that Castiel asked of her. What man would be able to turn down an offer like that?

"Put on your sluttiest outfit," Lucifer said to Aurielle with a grin. "We have a young Angel to distract." He resumed changing clothes, and Aurielle turned her back, digging around in her suitcase. She didn't mind wearing something that showed some skin. She was getting used to her good looks now, and Aurielle was enjoying the lustful stares of all the men as she walked by. She had never experienced anything like that before, and it felt powerful. It was empowering to feel like she could ask any one of them to do just about anything for her, and they likely would, just because of how she looked. She couldn't wait to feel Castiel's eyes on her. He would just have to be attracted to her now. But, she needed to be patient. Lucifer had been good to her, but he was no one to trifle with. He had more patience with her than he had with anyone else, but she had pushed him a bit too far a couple of times, and he had waved his hand in irritation, slashing her arms and legs. The pain had been excruciating, and she had apologized immediately. Then he had relented, and he had healed her wounds, restoring her to her original condition. "I like you, Aurielle," he had said. "But if I wanted to be nagged, I'd get a wife. I keep my promises, but I do so on my time, and in my own way. If you can handle that, great. If not, get the hell out. You may need me, but I don't need you."

Aurielle had fallen on her knees in front of him, apologizing, begging his permission to stay. She may be beautiful now, but she lacked the confidence to go out there and seek out Castiel on her own. Every time she had tried to entice him in the past, she had failed, and Lucifer had promised to give her his full support.

Lucifer had looked down at her dispassionately, but he'd been starting to become amused again. If she assumed this same position with Castiel, it would be a damn good start. Lucifer himself was about two seconds away from undoing his pants and having his own first experience with it. How badly did Aurielle want to stay, anyway? But he had turned away, telling her to rise. "Okay, you can stay," he said magnanimously. "But, don't bug me about it again."

So Aurielle had taken the lesson, and she would do whatever Lucifer asked of her, until he was ready to help her. She started to take her clothes off.

"Looking good, Aurielle," Lucifer said, smiling cheerfully. It was funny how free and open she was with him now. Too bad he had no feelings for her; she was incredibly sexy now, and she would do anything Lucifer told her to, now that he had shown her who was the boss. Any way you looked at it, Castiel was a lucky bastard. That was, if Lucifer even wanted to help Aurielle get him. He hadn't really decided yet. The last thing he wanted to do was reward Castiel with another willing female. He wanted his Brother to suffer. Just like a lot of them were going to suffer. Starting with young Kevin, today.

After they had both changed their clothing, Lucifer opened his mind to look for the young Angel. He kept the tracking channel shut off most of the time, as it was too distracting to have it on all the time. Lucifer could sense any sort of otherworldly being here on Earth, and since Crowley had just about emptied Hell, there were way too many Demons running around, jamming the frequency. Lucifer could isolate an Angel signal if he zeroed in, but all that constant traffic gave him a headache. He opened wide now, though. Strangely, there were very few Demons in Las Vegas at the moment. Like Gail, he had thought that there would be more. Many of them hadn't been on Earth since they had died, and he would have thought that Vegas would be the perfect place for Demons to wallow in sin. But Crowley had them on a fool's errand. There was no way any ordinary Demon was going to find Lucifer, when even the King of Hell himself couldn't do it. What was Crowley trying to prove? Was he just trying to exercise his muscles? Remind Bobby of the number of subjects that he had at his disposal? So far, the Demons had been obeying orders and leaving the humans and Angels alone. But Lucifer knew that wouldn't hold indefinitely. Demons were Demons, and Crowley couldn't watch them all. Even now, there was increased grumbling amongst some of them as to their particular role in this endeavour. They were supposed to be looking for Lucifer, and if any of them found him, they were to call Crowley immediately. Then, presumably, Crowley would arrive to apprehend him. But, shouldn't they be on the Devil's side here? A number of them had run into Dean Winchester's merry little band in different towns in the past few days, but they had been instructed to leave the men be. Really? How many of their number had the Winchesters tortured or taken out over the years? Usually, if any one of them succeeded in killing Sam or Dean Winchester, there would be untold rewards waiting for them when they got back to Hell. But they were forbidden from harming a hair on either of the brothers' heads, or any of the others. One Demon had observed Castiel sitting on a bench in Seattle, head down, reading a book. Why should he not be allowed to sneak up behind God's lieutenant and stab him in the back, then chop his head off and bring it triumphantly to Crowley? This was sheer madness.

But at the moment, the Demons were mostly toeing Crowley's line, and Dean and the others were obeying Bobby's orders to leave the Demons alone. Something was going to give soon, though; it was inevitable. Maybe Lucifer wouldn't have to start Armageddon himself, after all. Maybe he should just wait for the first blow to be struck. It wouldn't matter which side had started it; the escalation would be swift, and fun to watch.

He was almost tempted to make Kevin's murder look like a Demon killing, just to set it off, a la Helter Skelter. Then, watch the fur and feathers fly. But a potential Angel-Demon war would be just a yummy sideshow. Lucifer was the main attraction here, and he wanted everyone to know it.

So before they left the hotel to move towards the signal, Lucifer waved his hand in front of his face, restoring it to its original appearance.

"Say it loud," he said to Aurielle. "I'm Lucifer, and I'm proud." Aurielle did not smile, and Lucifer was a little disappointed by that. Metatron would have thought it was funny. He wondered where the little troll was now, and what he was doing. Well, as long as he stayed out of the way, Lucifer didn't care. He could hang around all the schoolyards that he wanted to.

They took the elevator down to the lobby, and the signal was so strong now that it was almost splitting Lucifer's head open. What the hell? How could one measly junior Angel be sending out such an overwhelming signal? Was it because he was a Prophet?

Lucifer looked at Aurielle. "I know you can't feel that, but it's some pretty heavy-duty stuff. Pity we have to kill him, actually."

Aurielle's heart sank. She had officially sunk all the way to the bottom, now. She was in Las Vegas with the Devil, and they were on their way to kill an innocent young Angel. Could she really go along with this? What had she become? Castiel had been her goal for so long, her only reason for existence. But was the possibility of obtaining that goal really worth it, if she had to do something like this to accomplish it? She closed her eyes for a moment, picturing herself kissing Castiel, and him kissing her back. Really kissing her, the way he had kissed Gail in the vision that Crowley showed her. His hands moving under her clothing. And his fingers going to the place she felt tingling every time she thought of him this way. Imagine how his tongue would feel there.

Aurielle opened her eyes. Her body had jerked for a moment, much like Gail's did when she was particularly close to achieving pleasure. Wow. If just the thought of being intimate with Castiel could do that to Aurielle, she just had to experience the real thing. And if she had to get her hands a little dirty along the way, she would have to find a way to be OK with it. Maybe Castiel could cleanse her. She knew he had prodigious powers. She could have the best of both worlds. Aurielle was inherently good, but this obsession had made her so crazy that she couldn't see straight. No; love. It was love, she corrected herself. And didn't they say that love conquered all? If she and Castiel were together, she would do anything that was required of her to atone for what she was doing now. If Castiel had to punish her himself, she would gladly take it from him, as long as she could feel his lips and his tongue on her body afterwards. They could be Angels by day, on the side of good, but then they could be as bad as they wanted to be at night, in the privacy of their own room. That was what he and Gail were doing right now, she knew. She had seen the evidence herself. Castiel was like a Knight in shining armour to the rest of the Angels in Heaven, but Aurielle knew that he had been a Demon at one point, although Lucifer had told her that no one in Heaven was aware of that fact. She was well aware of it, though, and Aurielle thought that fact could be the tipping point. Surely he had some urges that the Angel Gail was unwilling to fulfill, or that he had been reluctant to suggest to his lily-white girlfriend. As part of her Internet research, Aurielle had learned that many human spouses, mostly males, were willing to cheat on their partners with someone who would willingly provide an outlet for those appetites. Once Lucifer defiled Gail, Castiel would not want her any more. But even if by some unlikely miracle he did, Aurielle could offer him so much more. She could offer him everything.

She sighed. She had already sunk this low; she might as well climb down another couple of rungs.

"Where are we going?" she asked Lucifer.

He was smiling at her. He had seen her eyes close, and he had watched her body react to her fevered fantasies of herself and Castiel in the sack. She was so easy. He really did feel a strange sort of affection for her, just as one would towards a pet, or a mentally challenged child, maybe.

So he took her hand as they exited the elevator. "A very strange and mysterious place," he told her. "They call it...the Secret Garden."

\- END OF BOOK 12 -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate any feedback, comments and kudos.


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